Denver International Airport (DIA), has finally completed its DEN Concourse-A West expansion project and the airport also hosted a ribbon cutting recently. The newly opened project has now increased the airport’s overall gate capacity by 30%. This is particularly important, especially since DEN is one of the largest airports in the U.S.
At the ribbon cutting, Mayor Michael Hancock was the guest of honor and he spoke on the significance of the expansion. According to the mayor, the DEN Concourse-A West project provides new gates which can also accommodate international flights. As a result, these additional flights will bring more visitors, opportunities, and economic growth to the city.
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Amenities included for the DIA Concourse-A West project
The DEN Concourse-A West project has added 12 gates and 16 hold rooms to the airport’s facilities. In addition, the project also provides a new 530,000-square-foot support space. What’s more, a new outdoor deck is also available for travelers with views of the mountains. Other amenities at the facility include outdoor seating spots and firepits, along with a pet relief area, and a nursing room.
Besides the Concourse-A West project, the airport also expanded its B-East concourse. The B-East expansion area now features 10 new gates, 12 hold rooms, and an additional 126,000-square-foot space. United Airlines will use this expansion area for its FlySM concept which will cater to busy travelers. The new amenity will provide refreshments such as snacks, beverages, or barista-made coffee for travelers on the way to their flight.
Additionally, the B-East section provides comfortable seating options like its Concourse-A West counterpart. Similarly, it also includes workstations, family seating areas, charging stations, new restrooms, and nursing rooms. There are also plans to include new shopping and dining options by 2023.
Turner-Flatiron joint ventures built the DEN Concourse-A West project, while the Holder-FCI joint venture constructed the B-East expansion project. The project team also included Jacobs, who provided architectural and design services, and WSP who served as the Program Management Team.
Denver International Airport (DIA) Great Hall Project Overview
The Great Hall project is part of a larger expansion of the 25-year-old Denver International Airport (DEN), comprising the construction of a total of 39 new gates and other improvements which will all together more than quadruple the airport’s initial 50 million yearly passenger capacity.
The project is being implemented in three stages, the first two of which will be finished under an initial budget of US$ 770M. These are solely dedicated to constructing a new ticketing/check-in area for some of our airlines, as well as one new security checkpoint in the northwest corner of Level 6. They will run concurrently until the first competes at the end of 2021.
The third and last phase of the project, the Completion Phase, will complete the full build-out of the Jeppesen Terminal, bringing it up to speed for future expansion and crucial infrastructural needs.
Timeline.
November 2020
DEN plans for Phase 2 of the Great Hall Project
December 2020
DEN Reaches Another great Milestone on the Great Hall scheme.
June 2021
Construction Walls to Shift in the Great Hall showing Finished Space for the First Time Since development started.
July 2021
Hensel Phelps (HP), completed steel installation for the new airline ticketing pods on Level 6 weeks ahead of the projected schedule. The steel creates the framework for new four airline ticketing pods, two on the west side and others on the east.
August 2021
Navigating the Jeppesen Terminal during the Great Hall Project Phase 2. Denver International Airport (DEN) installed additional construction walls on Level 5 in the North Security Checkpoint for the Great Hall Project phase 2. The walls will allow DEN to construct the new security checkpoint in the Level 6 northwest corner.
October 2021
Efforts were underway to add new screening lanes temporarily and deal with other challenges to maintain passenger traffic.
The Airport CEO, Phil Washington outlined plans that included working with the Transportation Security Administration to compress four temporary screening lanes at the south checkpoint to become 12 lanes. The terminal construction scheme has complicated the security crowding. The long-running Us$ 770M renovation project at Great Hall isn’t expected to have as big an impact as that of navigating the terminal during the second phase or a potential third phase, both of which are focused on constructing new — and larger — security checkpoints on the upper level in years to come.
The commencement of second-phase work in August led to the closure of four of 12 north checkpoint screening lanes to make room for development. Four Additional lanes in the south checkpoint would simply offset the loss. Denver international airport also has eight screening lanes on the bridge to Concourse A.
Denver International Airport (DIA) on Wednesday 27 October celebrated a major milestone with the completion of Phase 1 of its Great Hall Project, which was plagued early on by issues related to contractors, budget, and timing.
Phil Washington, the Chief Executive Officer of DIA said that United and Southwest airlines will move into the space in early November and begin operating the new check-in and self-bag drop kiosks where passengers will tag and drop their own bags without ever interacting with a ticket agent.
In addition to the check-in and self-bag drop kiosks, this phase which focused on Level 6 of the airport also included the upgrade of restrooms and the construction of 16,000 square feet of new space for passenger flow and security.
Nov 2021
Phase I of the DIA Great Hall Project finally wrapped up
The first phase of the (Denver International Airport) DIA Great Hall Project was finally completed recently, after facing some rough patches in the earlier years, due to issues related to contractors, budget, and timing.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to mark the culmination of this project and the event was attended by several airline officials and partners from the Federal Aviation Administration, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock graced the occasion as well and Greeley-based Hensel Phelps was also in attendance.
The new improvements on the DIA Great Hall Project are intended to provide Travelers with easier navigation through the airport’s terminal. Final touches will include the removal of the construction walls at the center of the terminal on Level 5 and the removal of the walls on Level 6 by November 10th. Afterward, the travelers will be able to access and make use of the new ticketing and check-in spaces for Southwest Airlines and United Airlines which features 86 self-service bag drops. In addition, four new restrooms were also added.
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Phase I Construction on the DIA Great Hall Project completed under budget
Budget costs for the phase I construction of the DIA Great Hall Project were set at US$ 205.8M and part of this went into funding the expansion of Level 6 by 16,000 square feet; it also covered the provision of four new ticketing pods which are intended for the airport’s two largest carriers, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
The developers were expected to wrap up the phase I renovations at US$ 25M under the set budget and roll over any savings into Phase Two, which has a budget of US$ 170M.
Phil Washington, the DIA CEO, was happy with the progress made on the DIA Great Hall Project and commended Hensel Phelps for their dedication. Washington pointed out that ever since the company was recruited, the project had met every milestone, and stayed on schedule and under budget.
He also said, “This first phase was most impactful as we were working in the center of the terminal. These walls are now coming down, making it much easier for passengers to navigate the terminal, just in time for the busy holiday travel season.”
December 2021
Denver International Airport officials were seeking approval of four contracts awarded to Hensel Phelps Construction Company, Jacobs Engineering, Inc., LS Gallegos, and Stantec Architecture, Inc. for a total of approximately US$ 1.3bn.
The contracts concern the 3rd and the last phase of the Great Hall Project. This phase according to Phil Washington, the DIA’s chief executive officer includes finishing the northeast-side security checkpoint, creating new ticketing pods for several airlines, and refreshing the airport’s baggage claim and curbside area. It is expected to break ground in late 2022 and be completed by 2028.
By mid this month, only the Denver City Council’s business committee had voted in favor of the four contracts. The entire City Council still must vote on the contracts.
