Passengers walking into Pittsburgh International Airport will soon step through a new terminal on their way to catch a flight.
A joint venture of Pittsburgh-based PJ Dick, Hunt Construction Group of Indianapolis and New York City’s Turner Construction has reached substantial completion on the $1.7 billion Terminal Modernization program at Pittsburgh International Airport, according to a news release shared with Construction Dive. The milestone closes out one of the nation’s largest airport construction efforts, following February’s 80% completion mark.
The project replaces outdated facilities with a new 811,000-square-foot terminal and a 1.1 million-square-foot parking structure, according to the project fact sheet. Together, they consolidate airline operations and public spaces under one roof, adding nearly four miles of new roadway and a 1,300-foot dual-level bridge that links the new terminal directly to the airside complex.
Dallas-based Jacobs served as program manager, according to airport officials.
The project, which broke ground in 2021, relied on no local tax dollars and 90% of materials and labor used came from within the region, according to the project fact sheet.
The PJ Dick, Hunt and Turner team also built nearly 27 lane-miles of new and upgraded roadway, including access roads and main terminal bridges. The crew installed 8 million pounds of structural steel for the terminal bridge and laid 17,000 feet of drainage piping beneath the site.
Inside, workers fitted tree-like steel columns and assembled 4,000 constellation lights that emulate the night sky.
The airport paired the construction push with its PIT2Work apprenticeship program, which connected local students to on-the-job training in the building trades. Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato called the initiative “an economic jet engine” that built both a terminal and a skilled workforce for the region.
The modernization also prioritizes sustainability and resilience, according to the fact sheet. The project is tracking toward LEED Gold certification, while the airport’s independent solar- and natural gas-powered microgrid provides on site generation for the entire campus.
The milestone in Pittsburgh follows a series of billion-dollar terminal projects across the country. In recent months, Turner and FlatironDragados opened the first phase of San Diego International Airport’s $3 billion Terminal 1. In Chicago, a joint venture of AECOM Hunt, Clayco and Bowa broke ground in August on O’Hare International Airport’s $1.3 billion Terminal D.
Other projects include the $700 million modernization project at Memphis International Airport in Tennessee and the $608 million terminal lobby expansion in Charlotte.
“The building itself, if you look at it now, I think is actually inspirational,” said Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Pittsburgh International Airport, in the release. “Being in this space feels good, and that’s a pretty big statement for an airport today.”
