Airport Construction Update
July 2, 2009
First Gates in New Terminal Concourse Open on Wednesday, July 15
The activation of the first six gates of the new Terminal B Concourse later this month will mark a major milestone for the creation of a modern, efficient, and attractive international gateway for Silicon Valley.
Southwest Airlines will start using the first six of the total of twelve gates in the Terminal B Concourse in the interim until the new facility is entirely completed next summer.We will activate Gates 18 to 22 on July 15, and Gate 17 will be activated in early August.
During the interim, Southwest passengers will continue to check in at Terminal A and claim their baggage at the carousels in the Terminal A garage. This will continue until we shift all their operations to Terminal B, currently scheduled for June 2010, when Terminal B’s ticketing, security check-in, and baggage systems will serve the new concourse.
We also will have ongoing construction in the new concourse over the coming year as we complete additional concessions, complete office space on the ground floor, tie into Terminal B, and make further modifications to the building and its furnishings. During this time sections of the concourse will be closed off from time to time to allow construction crews to do their work.
In addition to opening the new gates, the Airport will also open the first of its restaurants and shops in the new building with the launch of “The Sharks Cage” by HMS Host, one of the airport’s three master concessionaires. Sunnyvale’s C.J. Olson’s Cherries, Sunglass Icon, and Sunset News round out the HMS Host-operated concessions in the new concourse. More concessions are scheduled to open over the next several weeks as construction in the concourse is completed.
The 380,000-square-foot, $342 million Terminal B Concourse is the first major component of the airport’s overall terminal area improvement program when construction started in 2004. Gensler was the lead architect, supported by Steinberg Architects from San Jose, and Gilbane Building Company was the construction manager. The early activation of the concourse is required because complex construction phasing requirements related to other project elements in the Airport's modernization program.
Terminal B, designed by Fentress Architects, is currently under construction by Hensel Phelps Construction Co., the Airport’s design/build contractor. When completed the new terminal will be integrated with the new concourse, and together the two buildings will have a total of twelve commercial aircraft gates with comfortable waiting lounges, passenger amenities such as free Wi-Fi and ample power outlets for laptops, and new shops and restaurants that will enhance passenger experience.
The buildings also have been designed and built to achieve environmental sustainability goals, and we expect to receive LEED certification after completion.
July 4 Holiday Weekend Travel
We remind travelers again to plan ahead and check in early to prevent delays and problems on a traditionally busy travel holiday this weekend. Although we expect passenger volume to be a little lower than last year, we’re now into the busiest travel season of the year. We recommend that travelers get to their terminals early, at least 90 minutes before domestic departures and two hours before international departures.
Passengers who already have their boarding passes and have only carry-on luggage can use the Express Security Checkpoint for Terminal A located at the International Arrivals Building to avoid the security lines at Terminal A.
Travelers should check www.tsa.gov for comprehensive guidance and helpful information to help prepare for travel during the busy summer season. Remember the TSA “3-1-1” security program: Only liquids and gels that are no more than three ounces are permitted in carry-on luggage. They must be kept in a clear sealed plastic bag no larger than one quart. And only one bag per traveler is allowed at the security checkpoint.
Before coming to the airport, check the status of your flight by contacting the airline’s toll-free number or by visiting the airline’s web site. Links to SJC’s airline websites can be found at www.flysanjose.com. Have your boarding pass and a photo ID in hand (such as your driver’s license or passport). Know your airline’s carry-on limits – under federal rules, each passenger is allowed one standard-size carry-on bag and one personal item, such as a purse, briefcase or laptop computer.
New Terminal A Concessions Opening in New Space in July
Expansion and improvements inside Terminal A also are moving right along. The Gordon Biersch restaurant is now scheduled to open in its new space in the new airside “bumpout” in the latter half of July, which will allow us to remove existing concessions, , including Burger King, Cinnabon, and San Jose Marketplace have already closed to make room for the new security checkpoint, and California Pizza Kitchen is scheduled to close July 17.
The former ticketing lobby on the second level of Terminal will be replaced by new security checkpoint that will help reduce waiting times in passenger queues. The expanded checkpoint will have eight lanes to begin with, and will have the capability for up to twelve lanes in the future as peak activity requires. TSA will install new, more efficient equipment that also will help speed up the security process. The new lanes are scheduled to be completed this coming November.
Terminal A Gates to be Renumbered in August
We will renumber all the gates in Terminal A on Saturday, August 1. Terminal A airlines will continue to operate at their usual gates, but they will have a new address. When the change occurs, Gate 1 will be at the far north end of Terminal A (currently Gate A-16). Gates currently numbered A-1A and A-1B for international flights at the south end of Terminal A will become Gates 15 and 16. The first gate in Terminal B Concourse will be Gate 17 when it opens mid-July, and Gate 28 will be at the far south end of Terminal B when we open the new terminal next year.
The hands of 54 Silicon Valley residents will greet the world from the Airport on a new mural that will span 1,200 feet, stand seven stories tall, and will be visible miles away when completed this summer. Titled “Hands” and created by international artist Christian Moeller, the innovative façade will wrap the east side of the Airport’s new rental car and public parking garage currently under construction. The height of the image is as tall as the heads on Mt. Rushmore.
The artwork is an integral part of the garage architecture and represents an innovative aesthetic enhancement within the construction budget that would otherwise have produced an ordinary precast concrete façade. The development of the artwork was an complex collaboration by the Airport, the San Jose Public Art Program, the artist, and the architect and builder of the garage. Ninety-five percent of the cost of the garage, including the artwork, is paid by rental car companies and their customers, not taxpayers.
The façade is being constructed from two layers of architectural chain link mesh. The outer layer will be covered with what Moeller calls a “bitwall” consisting of nearly 400,000 plastic disks hand-snapped on to the mesh to create a high-resolution pixelated image. The inner layer will be a denser mesh, providing a background for the image formed by the dots. Each of the 107 panels will be unrolled as it is hoisted into place and attached to the garage’s exterior wall.
To watch the artwork installation unveil itself over the next two months, visit our webcam here. For more information and to see a rendering of the artwork, go here. The seven-deck, 3350-space garage is a key element of SJC’s comprehensive modernization program and is located directly across the roadway from the new Terminal B under construction.
Safety Reminder
Heavy construction equipment continues to use Airport roads. As always, please watch out for other drivers, pedestrians, and construction workers. Airport parking control and traffic officers are there to help keep traffic flowing safely, so please pay attention to them, too, especially during peak times. And please, pedestrians should not walk through construction zones – follow the designated walkways.
Airport Construction "Hot Line" at (408) 501-0630
For current information about construction impacts to the airport, call (408) 501-0630. We regularly update the recorded message to help our passengers as we make changes affecting roads, terminals, and parking at SJC.
Construction Schedules Are Subject To Change
We will keep updating the public and our customers about the project details as they occur, but please bear with us as we adjust schedules for the project. We appreciate your patience, and thank you for flying San José while we build The New Airport for you.
Airport Construction Update is produced by the Marketing and Communications Division at Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport. We welcome your comments. If you’re not already on the mailing list for this publication, you can subscribe by going to www.sjc.org.