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Lets talk about Sky Harbor


MJLO

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Probably not nearly as extensive (since our media doesn't give a damn about Phoenix), but...

$2B Sky Harbor expansion, upgrade being planned

Yeah, the light rail connection is essential. Why would you build a mass transit system such as that and not connect to other systems? It'd be like building the rail line 1/2 mile from a bus depot. People are less likely to ride it if they can't make that quick connection. And an SFO style thing, where the rail ends and is picked up by a more traditional, smaller-scale airport train would work well for PHX, I think.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well the people mover in the airport is a big if. They are wising up to the fact that they are in possesion of the nations fifth busiest airport, so things can't stay status quo. The current airport modus of transit just isn't cutting it. Unfortunately politicians in Arizona seem to look at things and see price tags, and not the decades of future benefits that may come from them.

As for the road work. Something has to be done with 153, It's the two mile road from University Dr. to nowhere, it would make sense to have it connect to I-10 or something, complete it so that it at least connect fully to Sky Harbor Blvd. I have never quite understood why there are two freeways running parralel a quarter mile from each other. I have some Ideas, but they sure aren't country fresh.

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coming from a person who's been at SkyHarbor Nearly everyday for the past ten months. The 153 - University - 143 jog, is a royal pain in the ass. Especially at 5PM! It has added 45 extra minutes to my commute. I've never understood why you can't just use 143 from the Blvd. As it is I save time taking the 202 - 101 to the 60 route.

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Airlines Baulk at higher terminal rates at Sky Harbor.

This is typical and to be expected, Southwest, and USAirways are raising flags about rate hikes at the airport to pay for the $3billion dollar expansion. It's the corporations job not to fall in line and just aggree to raise their costs. I'm sure they will fall in line. Everything being done at Sky Harbor, is designed to make everything easier in the long run. Neither Airline can do anything concrete about it since, the airport is such a major revenue driver for them.

Last year, more than 41 million people traveled through Sky Harbor's gates, and the airport logged 546,510 takeoffs and landings, according to the FAA.

Those numbers are expected to jump to as many as 50 million people and 670,000 takeoffs and landings by 2015.

But the airport, as it is today, cannot accommodate those numbers.

One of the first projects that officials plan to start is construction of a $1.1 billion automated train system designed to quickly shuttle passengers from a new north airport entrance at 44th and Washington streets to the airport's east economy parking garages and lots and on to Terminal 4.

The system is to be built in phases. Planning for the first segment, which ends at Terminal 4, is to begin almost immediately and is scheduled to open in 2013.

The second phase, which won't be ready until 2020, would extend the train line west through the heart of the airport, connecting passengers with the airport's other terminals and the rental-car center.

The second major planned project is construction of a 33-gate terminal at a cost of about $650 million.

The new building would give Phoenix more gate space and allow the airport to possibly shift all of the Southwest Airlines operations out of Terminal 4. That would alleviate congestion there while still giving US Airways room to expand.

Federal regulations require that construction work begin within three years of receiving FAA approval, or in spring 2009. So even though Sky Harbor doesn't plan to start building the terminal until 2013, it will begin site and preparation work immediately.

Construction is expected to be completed by 2016.

In the meantime, Sky Harbor plans to begin designing and building a final, eight-gate concourse on the south side of Terminal 4. The area would help accommodate the growth needs of both Southwest Airlines and US Airways until the new terminal is complete.

Preliminary estimates for the new concourse are $80 million.

Finally, Terminal 4 is scheduled for a major face lift. In recent years, Phoenix has done a lot of work to the passenger level, reconstructing and upgrading the retail and food areas. But similar improvements are needed to the baggage claim and ticketing levels as well as the terminal's mechanical and air-conditioning systems.

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I dunno dude, Sky Harbor is a self funding airport. The tax payers in the state don't support it at all, unless they use it. I think the idea behind it is to keep that no tax payer $ commitment. Which seems to be an Arizona theme. So my question is, if Sky Harbor is self funding, what happens if there is a revenue surplus? Does it go back to the airlines in the form or rebates, or does it go to City of Phoenix taxpayers? I can see arguements made either way. Though my guess is they roll it over into the ever going construction.

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It's official, Phoenix city council, approved the 3billion dollar expansion of the airport. They'll start planning for the underground tram system immediately. I think it's outstanding, that airports already under a heavy load of construction, I can't imagine what it's going to be like when they follow thru with all of these plans!

I had no idea that the rental car facility cost 300 million!!! That's insane to me. what do they have in there? Gold Plated walls?

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  • 3 weeks later...

What's this tearing down T2 business? Por que?

Also rode through Sky Harbor on Valley Metro's fabulous Red Line on the way to Downtown. The only people riding it (late Saturday afternoon) were airport employees. And, btw, the Red Line would be the main route taken over by the light rail line since it runs from Downtown PHX to Downtown Tempe.

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I'll tell you right now Colin, If I had to take a flight out for a few days and I didn't want to mess with parking my car, you'd see my rear end on those trains heading to the airport. I know i'm a different bird. I think you'll see people warming up to the trains more as infill continues. That's a good thing for lightrail, Sky Harbors proximity to downtown. It wouldn't take long at all to get there if you were a socialite living in a high rise downtown. Although, PHX socialites drive gigantic gas guzzling cars, it's the New York ones who use mass transit for everything.

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Ya know, not only does NYC have a fabulous transit system, but Upstate New York is also awesome. For instance, Buffalo is the smallest city in the country to have a subway (it was Rochester, but their subway was closed in the '50's) and Syracuse even has a light rail system. These are both metros with 1/4 or less the population of Phoenix's. Granted though, that they're more established and have had more time to develop their transit. But I'm all about New York right now as I'm planning a trip up there.

As long as they develop the park and ride properly, and have some sort of way to deal with multi-day parking, then ridership will be fine for Sky Harbor. You could almost think of it like an extra-extended economy lot, and I think many people will as well. I didn't mind parking there after driving from Tucson until they raised the rates so much. If I could drive up and park somewhere else, or, better yet, take a train from Tucson and catch the light rail to the airport, I would totally do it.

But why is Terminal 2 going to be torn down?

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Terminal 2 is going to be torn down because, Sky Harbor is still growing at a fast clip, and the airport will reach passenger capacity in the near future if they don't expand. I believe Terminal 2 will be built in the style of T4 which was built to be expaned (It's now as big as it can get with the eighth concourse being built. The current T2 Is the reason Sky harbor blvd is all wonky) It's disorganzied given the way the airport is laid out. It's antiquated, and the design cannot efficiently be expanded upon.

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  • 2 months later...

Yes, not only would you run into the problems of other reliever airports with inter-airport transit (of which Phoenix is years, years and years away from ever coming close to having, if even that), but you also to build in the facilities that aren't there already: rental cars, luggage processing, hangars, maintainence, etc.

I don't know a damn thing about airports, but I do know that using a reliever is usually not the answer.

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