Airline, County Pact Clears Way For Terminal
<H1> Airline, County Pact Clears Way For Terminal</H1>By Frank Rosci
<I>Detroit </I>- Groundbreaking on a $1.6 billion expansion of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is expected to begin in 1997 now that a development agreement has been finalized by hub carrier Northwest Airlines and Wayne County.
The lion's share of the project will be Northwest Airlines' new $800 million mid-field terminal. While plans for airport improvements have been on the drawing board since 1987, an initial agreement to build the new terminal wasn't reached until May; construction plans were finalized on Sept. 19.
The new terminal, set to open in December 2000, will include 64 new domestic gates and 10 international gates, as well as an overhead tram system running the length of the new concourse to transport passengers from gate to gate.
According to Wayne County Executive Edward McNamara, efforts by President Clinton and Transportation Secretary Federico Peña were critical in sealing the deal.
"Peña flew into town and clinched this deal," McNamara said. "This will have an enormous impact, not only here, but on the world's transportation system."
However, completion of the entire project, which includes construction of another runway, hinges on approval of a contract by the Wayne County Commission, approval of portions of financing by other airlines and Northwest's final design and engineering plans.
Overall funding for improvements is being drawn from a combination of airport funding and various airport revenues-including $700 million from passenger facility charges, airline fees, concessions and parking.
Terminal construction will be managed by Northwest, which also will be responsible for any cost overruns. Terms of the agreement also indicate that Northwest and other airlines will share responsibility for all costs associated with the balance of the airport development program.
While the new terminal is expected to benefit all passengers, business travelers in particular will notice greater convenience and ease of access characterized by wide corridors, larger pick-up and drop-off areas for arrivals and departures, and less taxiing time from runways to gates.
Growing Intl. Gateway
Plans also call for a fourth parallel runway to accommodate increasing take-offs and landings out of this growing international gateway. With 380 daily jet departures, Detroit Metro is Northwest's largest hub and primary international port.
Since 1992, Northwest has added non-stop service from Detroit to several U.S. and Canadian cities, and to Amsterdam, Beijing, London, Mexico City and Osaka.
"Detroit is one of Northwest's most important markets," said Northwest's president and CEO, John Dasburg, in a written statement. "The mid-field terminal project will enable us to serve our customers well into the next century and will guarantee significant economic benefit and thousands of jobs for the region." As many as 20,000 jobs are expected to be created, according to county officials.
The number of passengers flying through Detroit on Northwest has increased by more than 10 percent through this past April, said Donald Washburn, Northwest's executive vice president of customer service and operations.
Officials predict the expansion will help Metro, already the world's 13th busiest airport, attract even greater numbers of travelers. Many companies that conduct business internationally prefer to locate near international airports, making Wayne County a potential home for firms doing business in Europe, Japan and even China.
At present, Detroit Metro is Michigan's most important economic development generator, making an annual economic impact of $2.7 billion, with 52,000 regional jobs, including 15,000 at the airport, tied to the facility.
Other construction activities will include a new parking deck with at least 5,000 spaces, shuttles to carry connecting passengers from flight to flight, extensive improvements to the airport's three existing terminals, a noise mitigation program, and development of and improvements to airport ramps, aprons and roadways-including new access from I-94 north and I-275 south to the airport, intended to cut travel times and reduce traffic congestion at the terminals.
Until the new terminal opens, the existing terminal will undergo temporary improvements, McNamara said. Work will include the extension of passenger shuttles from Concourses G to C, increased capacity of federal inspection services in the international terminal, additional operations through an increased number of gates and demolition of a portion of the L.C. Smith Terminal to make way for a new cargo facility. Also, Northwest will continue to use existing gates at Davey Terminal, which will house new airlines when Northwest moves to the new terminal. Berry Terminal, now used for arriving international flights, will once again serve mostly charters.
The temporary improvements, which will cost the airport $60 million, will be ready by late next year.