Miami International Airport moving to add new concourse, gates

Miami International Airport will add six passenger gates in a new Concourse K beside the South Terminal under a four-year, $621 million contract with a firm that is to design and build the project within four years, according to a just-released call for services.

The project is part of a sweeping $6.8 billion plan for airport-wide modernization in the next five to 15 years, paving the way for passenger and cargo growth that the airport forecasts.

The deadline for responses to the airport’s request is May 23. The request excludes by name 26 firms, many well known, that are not eligible to become involved because they played a role in developing the design criteria or are helping the county to manage the project.

The airport’s request for services says the new Concourse K will be three levels, east of the South Terminal and Concourse J, that will match the levels of the South Terminal and provide the six new gates capable of receiving and accommodation six narrow-body or three wide-body aircraft interchangeably. The contract also requires passenger boarding bridges with glass walls.

The estimated $621 million-plus contract estimates something over $518 million for the actual construction, $33 million for the design, $556 million for owner contingency fees, a $2 million owner dedicated allowance, and $10 million in fees.

Advertising of the design-build contract formerly had been targeted for January of this year as the airport looks to serve an estimated 77 million annual travelers in 2040. The airport is now at a level of about 52 million passenger trips annually, meaning the estimated trip growth in the next 16 years is almost 50%.

The South Terminal, which was completed in 2007, added 1.7 million square feet to the airport’s complex as the first major expansion of Miami International since the 1950s. The design-build contract includes expansion of the existing South Terminal by an unspecified footage.

The contract also calls for a Central Terminal to South Terminal baggage handling system crossover and baggage makeup system for the new Concourse K with steel structure and canopies.

A major component of the contract is information technology systems. Contract specifications say those would include communications and telephones, a security access card reader system, closed-circuit television for video surveillance, a public address system, a common use terminal equipment system, a building management system, a cable television system, and a visual information display system.

The chosen firm would also modify the existing Concourse J second level passenger south checkpoint to add two more lanes as required by the latest standards of the federal Transportation Security Administration.