MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - North Terminal Development

Miami International Airport (MIA) is the third largest airport in the U.S. To enhance operations and increase capacity, the Miami-Dade Aviation Department initiated the North Terminal Development (NTD) Program. Turner & Townsend Heery has been a key contributor to this $3 billion program from its inception in 1997. First, the firm was an integral part of the master architect team that developed the conceptual design for the terminal and airside expansion program. The firm then developed the master design for the 3.5 million SF expansion of the North Terminal complex.

In 2006, Heery assumed the role of program manager for the overall program. The project team essentially transformed the north terminal from a piers configuration to a linear terminal, which in turn allowed the airline to double the number of flights per day. The program design was broken up into 25 manageable packages and more than 80 construction packages which were all overseen by the Turner & Townsend Heery team.

The $3.1 billion project merges Concourses A, B, C, and D, into a single, 1.3-mile linear concourse (3.5 million SF of new construction and renovations) with a total of 50 gates. A new rooftop automated people mover with four stations will optimize passenger flow throughout the facility. The new Federal Inspection Services area, 400,000 SF in size, incorporates 72 service lanes with a total capacity to process 3,600 international passengers per hour. The design accommodates four security check points with 16 lanes separating secure and public circulation. Processing 45,000 bags per day, the baggage handling system stretches 9.5 miles in length.

Program elements include:

• A rooftop automated people mover (Skytrain) with four stations.
• A 54,000-SF Early Baggage Storage Facility capable of receiving baggage for passengers whose plane has not arrived at its gate.
• 50 domestic/international gates, over 150 ticket counter positions and over 120 self-service devices, a new 400,000-SF Federal Inspection Services (FIS) Facility with 72 service lanes with the capacity to process 3,600 passengers per hour.
• Post-security concessions increased to 72 spaces with a combined footprint of more than 110,000 SF.
• A new 85,000-SF Regional Community Facility with two contact gates and conducts both international and domestic flights.
• Doubled passenger capacity and more than doubled aircraft turns per gate from 4.5 turns per day to more than ten turns per day.
• 100% or “Excellent” on each Best Practices Safety Audit for the past nine years.