MIDWAY AIRPORT
OWNER: City of Chicago, Department of Aviation
START DATE: 1997
COMPLETION DATE: 2004
VALUE: $660 Million
Kenny Construction Company provided general construction management services as part of a multi-year joint venture to revitalize Midway International Airport, one of the fastest-growing airports in the continent and a leading source of jobs and income for the Chicagoland region.
Anticipating a sharp rise in air traffic in one of the nation's largest transportation hubs, the Chicago Department of Aviation launched its Midway Airport Terminal Development Program in 1997 to replace the terminal built a half century earlier and allow for more efficient use of existing airfield space. Following a history of success with managing large and complex projects, Kenny Construction was selected to oversee a nine-phase project that included demolition of the existing terminal and concourse buildings, and construction of a new 950,000-square-foot terminal and concourse and 260,000 square yards of new aircraft aprons and taxiways. Construction took place while the existing airport was in full operation.
Coordinating multi-phase, fast-track terminal construction activities while sustaining ongoing airline operations, traveler amenities and facility support services is a tall order. The construction management team resolved these and other challenges during extensive conceptual planning that began in 1994 and included rerouting and replacement of underground utilities, and realignment of South Cicero Avenue and concurrent reconfiguration of adjacent streets and intersections.
Other staged work included building a new parking garage and pedestrian bridge before demolition of the old structures and removing other structures in sections to preserve mechanical features such as air-handling units supplying operating sections of the facility.
The $660-million project, which includes $550 million in construction costs, was completed in 2004. The new Midway International Airport features three times the amount of space and a 100-percent increase in concession services. It serves some 17 million passengers a year with 43 new gates and larger concourses.
The Midway Airport Terminal Development project came in on time and on budget, in spite of a 65-percent increase in passenger traffic during construction and the challenges of addressing heightened airport security requirements in the wake of the 9-11 tragedy. The joint venture responsible for construction management of the project is known as Kenny-Rust-Midway (KRM).