Thursday, July 19, 2007
Jul. 19, 2007 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) --
Airline passengers will have to put up with a few more construction ups and downs before escalator work at both terminals of Eppley Airfield is finished.
Replacement of the south terminal escalators should be done by mid-August, several weeks ahead of schedule, said Don Smithey, executive director of the Omaha Airport Authority.
Work on replacing the 22-year-old north terminal escalators will begin Jan. 7 and should be done by the end of April.
And by November 2008, airline passengers will have approximately 720 more parking spaces in the airport garage.
The airport authority board this week approved work on those projects.
Walker Parking Consultants assessed the use of the airport's current parking facilities, and submitted a study to the board in June. The study estimated what the airport will need in the future, then provided recommendations on how to accommodate the growing number of passengers.
Smithey said the addition to the west and south sides of the short-term parking garage should meet increased needs for three to five years.
Walker will supervise construction on the addition, expected to cost $12 million.
Walker will also start another study to evaluate and make recommendations on how to manage the long-term parking needs, as traffic is expected to eventually grow beyond the current 4.2 million passengers each year, Smithey said.
Walker will be paid $113,112 for the study that will be completed by January. The airport authority wants to have a plan for when it needs to expand parking facilities, then it can 'put it on the shelf until we need to take it out and use it,' Smithey said.
Omaha resident Jim Methe objected to the board's short-term plan to add to the garage because it is a 'stopgap to a problem that will get bigger.'
Methe suggested the board consider a more long-term solution, such as an additional parking garage.
KONE Inc., a company based in Finland that specializes in escalators and elevators in more than 40 countries, is currently replacing the south terminal escalators.
The board approved a $395,940 contract, including a three-year service agreement, for the company to replace the north terminal escalators. The bid is an 8 percent increase from the current escalator contract because of additional costs, including renting materials and building modifications, said Dave Roth, director of planning and engineering for the airport authority.
The escalator replacement has caused minimal disruption to passengers, Smithey said. The airport has kept one escalator going up in the south end of the terminal while the other escalator is being installed. Signs point passengers to steps near the escalator, to an elevator or to the north end of the terminal where both escalators are working.
As Rachel Checketts of Omaha carried her guitar down the stairs Wednesday, she said it was only slightly inconvenient. 'It wasn't a big deal, especially because stairs are better for you anyway,' she said.
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