San Francisco International Airport Terminal 3 West Modernization
Introduction
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is one of the busiest airports in the United States, serving over 50 million passengers annually. In 2018, the airport faced the challenge of reconstructing a whole terminal while keeping the existing terminal operational and ensuring passenger flow to the existing gates beyond the work area. Turner Construction Company was hired to undertake this massive project. The project was suspended during COVID-19, but design and construction restarted in January 2023.
The SFO T3 West is a Design-Build project with incremental guaranteed maximum price (GMP), with United Airlines as the key tenant. This multi-billion dollar project involves 842,373 GSF of modernization and additional space and is scheduled for completion in Q4 of 2028.
SFO Terminal 3 West
Challenge
Keeping millions of passengers moving through SFO to existing gates and around Turner’s work posed a challenge. The Turner team needed to find a way to reroute traffic through the airport and construction.
Solution
The Turner team sought assistance from the Turner team at LaGuardia (LGA), since they had built temporary corridors previously. The SFO Turner team leveraged this knowledge, shared with the client, and provided a solution adapted for use at SFO.
Two prefabricated interim corridors (East and West), with finishes and all MEPF/SS systems, will be put in place to ensure passenger flow while the construction is ongoing. These corridors will be prefabricated off-site by Turner’s Self-Perform Operations team at an air cargo yard beginning in February 2024. Upon completion, the corridors will be moved into place in August 2024, with installation complete by November 2024. Both interim corridors will be in place for two to three years during construction.
Each corridor module is 30’ long and will be connected, then moved into larger sections that will be 100 to 120 ft. long.
Scheduling & Phasing
East Corridor: 400 ft. long x 25 ft. wide
West Corridor: 1,000 ft. long x 15 ft. wide
Results
The adoption of a “one-and-done” interim setup outside existing buildings proving to be advantageous. This approach eliminates the need to construct temporary corridors within the buildings, reducing the complexities of multiple moves over the project’s duration.
The Turner team also employed above-grade spread footings on the existing airfield pavement instead of piles. This decision not only expedited the construction process but also laid the groundwork for potential sustainability options, demonstrating a forward-thinking approach to project planning.
While the corridors are initially budget-neutral or slightly higher, any cost may be offset by avoiding the expenses associated with interior corridors, multiple moves, and inefficiencies from MEPF/SS trade partners. Anticipated bid savings from other trades benefiting from the landside condition further support the financial benefits of this approach.
Primary motivations for pursuing this option included enhanced safety for passengers, construction efficiencies, a commitment to exploring new innovations, and maintaining SFO’s high passenger experience standards.
Specific monetary values are not immediately available, though the project team expects additional bid savings and financial benefits to materialize over time.
MAINTAINING
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