The upcoming south terminal redevelopment work at Denver International Airport won’t be as disruptive for travelers as initially envisioned, the program’s manager said this week.
“We’ve been working on the situation for several months as the contractors continue with their work on how to stage all of this,” said Stu Williams, project manager on the redevelopment program. “We now are very confident that we will be able to keep all the levels functioning as they are today.”
“All of this” involves lowering the bridges or ramps to levels 4, 5 and 6 on both sides of the terminal so a 500-room hotel, a plaza that links directly to the terminal and commuter-rail transit station can be built.
When unveiled at a recent City Council committee meeting, the plan was to shut down bridges to levels 4, 5 and 6 on the west side in mid- to late April. Much of the traffic on the west side was to have been diverted to the east side during construction.
Once construction shifted to the east side, traffic was to have been diverted to the west.
Level 4 is where passengers are picked up; Level 5 is for commercial vehicles such as buses, limos, taxis and shuttles; and Level 6 is where passengers are dropped off.
“We were always going to maintain operations on Level 4, but Level 6 was in debate,” Williams said.
There has been some retooling after discussions with airlines and other groups, and the impact on public access “isn’t as dramatic” as what was first indicated, Williams said.
He also acknowledged that “we probably could have been a little more explicit about what we’re doing.”
The $350 million project is important to facilitate the airport’s future growth and to make DIA’s “overall experience so much better” for travelers, Williams said, by building the plaza on Level 1 where the train and buses will come in.
Details are being finalized, though Williams said work to lower the bridges on levels 4 and 6 on the terminal’s west side will start in early to mid-June. It will take about a year, and then bridge-lowering will begin on levels 4 and 6 on the east side. Pickup and dropoff will still be at curbside.
Detours should be in place in mid-May for both sides of Level 5. Some Level 5 operations may be moved to other levels.
Robert Polk, chief executive of Polk Majestic Travel Group of Denver, was among those who were concerned. “This could be a great, big, two-year headache” if it isn’t handled right, he said.
Williams said he feels “very coordinated” with all the interested parties. There have been weekly meetings with the airlines, emergency response personnel, DIA employees and others.
An extensive public education campaign is being developed and will be publicized in the print and broadcast media, social media and signage in advance of construction, DIA spokesman Jeff Green said.
The DIA team is aware of the airport’s importance to the state’s tourism industry and is working closely with tourism-related organizations, said Jayne Buck, vice president of tourism for Visit Denver, the convention and visitors bureau.
Al White, director of the Colorado Tourism Office, agreed, saying DIA officials “have been very understanding of our concerns regarding inconvenience to travelers/tourists through the terminal.”
“I believe the plan they have devised will create a minimal amount of disruption and will therefore be inconsequential to DIA users,” White said.
Buck added that once the plan is finalized, the information will be distributed to groups such as convention organizers and hotels.
“People will need to know how to proceed, which way to go, where the airlines will be,” Buck said. “We want to anticipate concerns before someone experiences it.”
The chief executive of Colorado Ski Country USA said she doesn’t think people will change their travel plans because of the construction, and the organization will get the word out on how to navigate the airport.
“We’re fortunate that our season is wrapping up so we can get the lay of the land before we go into the 2012-13 season,” Melanie Mills said.
Ann Schrader: 303-954-1967 or aschrader@denverpost.com
