A Balfour Beatty, Metcon joint venture has been selected for the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority construction programme.
Balfour Beatty’s building operations and joint venture partner Metcon, in association with Right Build and Varnedoe Construction, have been selected by Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority to deliver an approximately $650m phased construction programme at North Carolina’s Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). As part of its Vision 2040 Master Plan, the construction programme at RDU will support growth in passenger volume and the ability for airport facilities to meet the current and future demand for aviation in the Research Triangle, a metropolitan area in the Piedmont region of North Carolina .
Providing construction manager-at risk services, the Balfour Beatty and Metcon JV will deliver the expansion of Park Economy 3, improvements to the Aviation Parkway and National Guard Drive interchange and the Terminal 2 Landside Expansion programme over the course of multiple years.
The Park Economy 3 expansion includes expanding the existing parking area and delivering 8,000 additional parking spaces to accommodate the PG-1 and PG-2 replacement and for future, increased passenger growth. A multi-level law enforcement and parking operations building will also be constructed with covered walkways, new bus shelters and canopies. Construction activities for the Park Economy 3 expansion will begin in autumn 2023 with a scheduled delivery in 2025.
The Aviation Parkway and National Guard Drive interchange will undergo capacity and safety improvements at the roadways’ intersection to accommodate increased traffic volumes from the expansion of Park Economy 3 as well as future development along National Guard Drive. The interchange will feature new roadway infrastructure connecting the newly expanded parking lot to Aviation Parkway and a new bridge overpass to allow RDU’s shuttle bus traffic to have an almost continuous, free-flow movement to and from the terminal area to Park Economy 3. The improvements are anticipated to start in 2025.
The Terminal 2 Landside Expansion program includes three, sub-phases – expansion of Terminal 2, the demolition and reconstruction of Parking Garage 1 and 2 and the extension of John Brantley Boulevard – to meet long-term Terminal 2 passenger demand.
The expansion of Terminal 2 includes expanding the terminal’s processor building and the expansion and modification of the landside, FIS (Federal Inspections Station) and CBP (Custom and Border Patrol) areas of the building. The Parking Garage 1 and 2 demolition and reconstruction includes replacing the garage decks with new five- to seven-story decks, and pedestrian bridge and tunnel connections to Terminal 2. Lastly, the John Brantley Boulevard extension involves realigning the main road loop between Terminals 1 and 2 to create space for a future consolidated rental car facility (CONRAC). The Terminal 2 Landside Expansion program is scheduled to start in early 2025.
“Being selected to deliver this major construction programme is testament to our project team’s ongoing commitment to operational excellence to successfully achieve our client’s programme goals,” said Trent Johnson, Balfour Beatty operations director in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“We look forward to working with Metcon, local minority-owned businesses and our industry partners to construct these vital projects that will help to enhance the passenger experience and support current and future demand at RDU.”
Contracting for the construction programme will be phased through multiple amendments as design, pre-construction and construction activities progress. The Balfour Beatty-led JV will execute master agreements for the Parking Economy 3 expansion, Aviation Parkway and National Guard Drive improvements and Terminal 2 Landslide Expansion programme in March 2023.
Image: Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority
