Route 87 at Skyport Drive: CLOSED September 26-28

Caltrans and the City of San José will close Route 87 between Airport Parkway and Hedding Street the weekend of September 26. Full closure in the northbound and southbound directions will begin at 11 p.m. on Friday, September 26. Completion and reopening will occur by 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 28. Skyport Drive will also be closed during this time. Access to the Airport from the east side during the closure will be via Airport Parkway only.

The Airport’s Coleman Avenue entrance will be open throughout the closure. Passengers can also utilize the Alternate Drop-off area on Martin Avenue, accessible via Brokaw Road. From there, travelers can catch the free shuttle to the terminals.

The closure will allow construction crews to pave at the intersection of Skyport Drive and the existing Route 87. The paving operation will elevate the intersection by approximately 30” inches to align with the new roadway on the east side of Route 87 from Technology Drive.

Traffic will be detoured from Airport Parkway to North First Street and on to Hedding Street in order to reconnect with Route 87 southbound. Motorists will still be able to access Highway 101 from northbound Route 87 at Airport Parkway.

Southbound Route 87 to Skyport Drive is scheduled to open in October 2003. Northbound Route 87 to Skyport Drive has a planned opening date of December 2003, while the Skyport Drive onramp to northbound Route 87 opens in December 2005.

Construction on Route 87 began in 1998. With joint funding from the City of San José and Caltrans, Route 87, once complete, will provide a freeway corridor from South San José to Highway 101. The new freeway will feature six lanes, including a carpool lane in each direction.

880/Coleman utility work under way

Improvements to the Interstate 880/Coleman Avenue Interchange are moving forward. A coordinated effort of the City of San José, Caltrans, and the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), the project proposes to reconfigure and widen existing ramps of the 880/Coleman Avenue Interchange, add a new direct connector ramp from Airport Boulevard to southbound 880, replace the Coleman Avenue over crossing at 880, and widen Coleman Avenue to six lanes from north of Airport Boulevard to Hedding Street. Bond financing has been secured by VTA, and December 2003 is the target date to award the construction contract.

In the meantime, PG& E utility relocation work is ongoing, with a November 2003 completion date anticipated. Phased utility relocation work on the southbound portion of Airport Boulevard to Coleman Avenue coincides with work recently completed beneath Route 880 from Ruff Drive to Airport Boulevard. In addition, trenching and underground construction is proceeding along Coleman Avenue in the Vermont and Newhall neighborhoods. VTA is holding a community outreach meeting/open house on October 15 in the Vermont and Newhall neighborhoods to keep the public informed about the project.

SJC Wins Three Marketing Communications Awards

Mineta San José International Airport has won three awards in Airports Council International - North America’s (ACI - NA) 2003 Excellence in Marketing & Communications Contest. First established as the Airport Operators Council in 1947, ACI-NA is the "Voice of Airports" representing governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports throughout the United States and Canada. This year’s Marketing & Communications Contest had a record 270 individual entries from 65 airport members in the United States & Canada. SJC received the following awards:

• First Place in the Black and White or Email Newsletters category for Airport Report, the Airport’s monthly online community newsletter. Airport Report, delivered via email, includes air service updates, an activity summary, current roadway projects, facility improvements, outreach activities, human interest profiles and a meeting calendar.
• First Place in the Web sites category for the newly redesigned Airport web site, www.sjc.org. Launched in March 2003, the web site has a clean, modern look, well-organized content and many paths to information.
• Third Place in the Print Advertising category for its June and July 2003 Air Service Marketing Program. Advertising ran in several local publications aimed at retaining SJC’s current levels of air service by preserving the number of non-stop destinations served, flight frequency and carrier mix at SJC.

Interactive Terminal Maps now live at sjc.org

Completely interactive maps of both terminals, and the International Arrivals Facility are now available at www.sjc.org. Visit “Inside the Airport” to view detailed maps that feature rollover icons, highlighting ticket counter and gate locations, food and beverage options, restrooms and a wide array of passenger services. Full text versions of each interactive map are also available, as well as printable PDF files of the most recent “You are Here” maps on the walls of the terminals. Visit this link to view the maps: www.sjc.org/inside.html

Passenger Activity

• July 2003: 1.06 million passengers (4.4% increase from July 2002)
• Calendar Year To Date:
  6.17 million passengers (5.3% decrease from 2002)

Cargo Activity (Excluding Mail)

• July 2003: 18.80 million pounds (24.0% decrease from July 2002)
• Calendar Year To Date:
  135.18 million pounds (23.8% decrease from 2002)

Bark in the Park ^
Saturday, September 20, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
William Street Park, William and S. Sixteenth Streets, San José
For more information, visit www.nagleepark.org/bark

District 5 Community Summit ^
Saturday, September 20, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Emma Prusch Park, Story and King Roads, San José
For more information, call (408) 277-5157

District 2 Community Fest ^
Saturday, September 27, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
George Page Park, Miyuki Drive and Santa Teresa Boulevard, San José
For more information, visit www.communityfest.org

Airport Commission ^
Monday, October 6, 6 p.m.
Airport Administrative Offices: 1732 N. First Street, Suite 600
For more information, please call (408) 501-7669

United Neighborhoods Annual Conference ^
Saturday, October 18, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Christian Community Church, 1523 McLaughlin Avenue, San José
For more information, visit www.unscc.org

District 8 Day in the Park, A Multicultural Festival ^
Saturday, October 18, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Lake Cunningham Park, 2305 S. White Road, San José
For more information, please call (408) 277-5242

For more information on meetings currently scheduled, or to schedule a meeting for your group, call (408) 501-0979 or send an email to communityinput@sjc.org.

Please send newsletter comments, inquiries and suggestions to:
Mineta San José International Airport
Attention: Airport Report Editor
1732 North First Street, Suite 600
San José, CA 95112-4538

e-mail: airportreport@sjc.org
Phone: 408.501.0979
Fax: 408.573.1676
Airport Area Radio Station: 530 AM