Massport Expedites Traffic Improvements
<B> Massport Expedites Traffic Improvements</B>
By Bob Curley
Far less controversial than the airport expansion debate, but perhaps no less significant, is Massport's ongoing $1 billion groundside improvement project at and around the airport, dubbed Logan 2000.
Many business travelers have experienced the double-whammy of long flight delays followed by an excruciating commute from Logan into downtown Boston. New England Business Travelers Association's Gary Polito said that the partial opening of the new Ted Williams Tunnel, which now gives drivers a second way to get from the airport to downtown, already has eased traffic on weekends.
The tunnel is just one aspect of Logan's modernization program that is paying dividends, said Tom Kinton, director of aviation for Massport. A 3,270-space airport parking garage opened Labor Day weekend and filled up immediately, which "speaks to the demand and allure of this market."
The new West Garage, being built in two phases, eventually will hold 5,700 cars, with pedestrian bridges and moving walkways linking the garage to passenger terminals. A new Hilton, set to open in September, will link to both the West Garage and Terminals A and E, and construction of a walkway between the airport's Central Garage and Terminal C also will begin this year. Other plans include linking the Massachusetts Turnpike to the Ted Williams Tunnel to circumvent downtown Boston when going to the airport, a project scheduled for 2002.
Kinton also detailed Massport's three-year, $1 billion International Gateway project, which will add 250,000 square feet to Logan's Terminal E and include a new two-level roadway in front of the terminal to accommodate arrivals and departures. The renovations will include separate ticketing and baggage levels, a centralized security checkpoint and escalators to each gate.
The rebuilt terminal will be able to accommodate up to 3,000 travelers per hour, compared with the 1,000-traveler-per-hour capacity of the existing terminal. "The whole trend toward international growth is what's driving this project," Kinton said.
In addition to Massport's spending, the airlines that use Logan will invest up to $1.2 billion during the next few years. Massport is discussing a $400 million overhaul of Terminal A with Delta, and US Airways already has sunk $60 million into a 100,000-sq.-ft. expansion of Terminal B, including new concessions, ticket counters and baggage claim areas, and an expanded first-class lounge.
US Airways also has committed to spending another $35 million to add four new gates at Logan for its New York and Washington, D.C., shuttle service. Also at Terminal B, American Airlines is considering spending $200 million on its half of the terminal, and will develop with Massport a satellite customs and immigration facility.
At Terminal C, United Airlines plans to spend $60 million to consolidate its operations into a single concourse. "The challenge is to keep the airport open and operational while we tear it apart," Kinton said, "but we think it will be worth it in the end.