PDX Next in 2023: Previewing This Year at the Airport
PDX Next in 2023: Previewing This Year at the Airport

Published February 02, 2023

 

If you’d ask all of us working on the PDX Next project to take stock of 2022, we’d have to say that it was a year to remember. Just as we promised last January, we demolished the remains of the Clocktower Plaza, erected giant steel Y-columns on the site of the new main terminal, and slid a nine-acre wood roof overtop. In fact, we passed the halfway point for the entire airport expansion project. While we know that it has added confusing new walls and detours to your PDX visit, we’re pleased that the work didn’t interrupt a single flight.    

Phew.  

With the roof in place, we have a whole new set of resolutions for 2023 in order to get the main terminal ready for the public in mid-2024:   

Resolution 1: Build the main terminal, starting from the top. 

“Normally, when you build a large structure, you build from the bottom up: from the foundations to the steel framing, the walls, and the roof,” says Vince Granato, head of PDX Next special projects for the Port of Portland. “We're doing it from the top down.”

The reason for this topsy-turvy approach? Making sure the construction won’t disrupt the airport’s 24-7 operations.  

Wade Huber, senior superintendent with Hoffman Skanska Joint Venture, says that this winter, the teams on site are “stitching together” the roof pieces they’ve just moved into place, connecting and securing the electrical, plumbing, and fire sprinkler systems. Over the next 10 months, Hoffman Skanska and its partners will erect the steel framing for the building. Then they’ll pour the concrete slab for the upper story (the departures level), followed by the floor for the lower (arrivals) level. 

Resolution 2: Hang the ‘curtain wall’.

At the same time that they’re pouring concrete and bolting steel girders, the construction crews will be installing one of the main terminal’s most innovative features: the exterior “curtain wall.” 

With most structures, says Glen Justice, a principal with ZGF Architects, the exterior walls are supported from the ground up by the building’s steel frame. At PDX, they’ll be hanging the exterior wall – covered in giant windows – from the roof. The reason? Seismic safety. “We're taking advantage of the fact that the roof is a seismically resilient structure,” Glen says. “The Y columns that come up through the building each have isolators on top that allow the roof to move independently of the rest of the structure. If the roof moves, so will the exterior curtain wall.”

Resolution 3: Install the new heating system.

Starting this spring, when you’re driving to the airport you may spot a few digging sites and massive pipes alongside the road that leads up to the main terminal. According to Kip Storey, who’s also a principal at ZGF, these are signs of the tunnel that crews are building underneath the road so they can install a super-efficient ground source heat pump. (We’ll give you the inside scoop on this groundbreaking technology later in the year.) 

Resolution 4: Debut the new taxi-rideshare space.

If you’ve taken a taxi or rideshare from the airport this year, you’ve probably met your ride at Traffic Island 2, which we created to ease traffic congestion on the arrivals level. This summer, we’re streamlining traffic even more by creating a dedicated area in the parking garage where taxis and rideshare drivers can pick up passengers.

According to Steve Koester, interim senior manager at the airport, when PDX moved all the rental car agencies to the new rental car center in late 2021, it freed up space on the first floor of the short-term parking garage. “It's already set up for separate entry and exit,” he says. “It feels like a nice fit to move taxis and rideshares there.” Once the renovations to the garage are finished, PDX visitors will be able to get to the new pickup spot via the tunnel from the baggage claim area. 

Resolution 5: Get the site ready for new restaurants and shops.

By October 2023, the people building the new main terminal will have hung the entire curtain wall, protecting the interior from the elements. Once they can control the temperature and humidity inside the terminal, they’ll start installing the flooring and constructing the ticket counters and security screening systems — as well as the concessions spaces. This spring, look for an announcement from us about 23 new restaurants and retail shops moving into the terminal. (The first 14 will open in May 2024!) By the end of 2023, we’ll be able to give these businesses the keys to their new homes, so to speak, so they can transform them into welcoming spaces.   

Good and Bad News for Curious Visitors

If you’re itching to see how the work at PDX is progressing over the course of 2023, sadly, you’ll have to do it online. All this work will take place behind the temporary wall in the main terminal’s ticketing area. If we do everything right, you won’t see or hear it! On the upside, it won’t affect your trip.

You may catch a glimpse of the terminal taking shape from a few spots in Concourses C and D, as well as the east end of the parking garage. But don’t worry! We’ll be sharing plenty of behind-the-scenes photos and videos through the PDXNext.com website, the email newsletter, and our Instagram and Facebook accounts.