Portland International Jetport | PWM

Nice find Corey, a very interesting site! We will never know what the impact would have been, but the location of PWM makes it one of the most convenient airports in the country in my opinion. Less than ten minutes from downtown, a breeze to get to from the turnpike and perfectly centered for the population base. Limited land area is a negative which means Portland will never have international jumbo jets rumbling down the main runway due to length constraints, but we are still in the top 100 largest airports in the country (#94 2008 enplanements) which is impressive for a city of our size.

And as far as the airport re-locating in the future to the suburbs or NAS Brunswick, not in my lifetime. There is way too much infrastructure in place and the cost of a brand new airport would be astronomical and would never get permitted in rural Maine. The larger balance of Greater Portland's metro population is to the south and I can't imagine South Portland/Scarborough/OOB/Biddeford-Saco residents driving 40-60 miles north to Brunswick for the benefits of a regional airport. It's not the same as driving to Boston for international connections or Manchester to save some money with Southwest in previous years. JetBlue and Airtran have virtually eliminated that need!
 
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If Portland wanted to get creative, or absolutely needed to expand the runway length, in my opinion it could be done. They already moved a road for the last expansion, the next expansion would simply require rerouting an interstate. But we know how easy that would be. Good points on the population center balance for PWM versus BNAS.
 
I agree with you Patrick, and I think filling part of the Fore River, even with it's wetlands issues, might be easier than re-routing the turnpike. They could always convert 18/36 into the main runway due to plenty of land to the south if it was absolutely necessary for future demand, but larger aircraft flying over Stroudwater on a regular basis would nix that option. It was tough getting that runway approved for a modest 1100 foot extension recently.

The only reason Portland would ever need longer runways is if some airline decided to add long range flights to say Denver, Houston or the west coast, which becomes an aircraft weight issue due to the increase in fuel for the longer trip. Denver and Houston (approx 2000 miles) might even meet the requirement now if 757's were used, I'll ask my brother who is a Delta pilot.

Also keep in mind, our main runway is 200 ft longer than LaGuardia, 330 ft longer than Washington National, and 1500 ft longer than John Wayne Airport in Orange County which handles 757's and over 9 million passengers a year. 7200 feet will work just fine for our future needs, fly PWM!
 
Jetport expansion under way
When completed, the $75 million project will nearly double the size of the terminal.

By Tom Bell tbell@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

PORTLAND - City officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday to mark the start of a $75 million expansion of the Portland International Jetport, the most ambitious expansion in the airport's history and the largest construction project going on in Maine.
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The project will nearly double the size of the terminal, adding 137,000 square feet of space. Airport officials say that will allow the terminal to handle an anticipated increase in passengers.

There aren't enough gates now to support another airline. The project will add three gates, eight passenger screening lanes and a new baggage-handling system, which will be capable of in-line explosives detection.

A new pedestrian bridge over the road that passes the entrance to the terminal will allow people to park in the adjacent garage and walk directly to baggage and security screening areas.

City Councilor Dan Skolnik, chairman of the building committee for the project, said it is gratifying to see the project begin after two years of work on its design and budget. He said the expansion will make the city-owned airport "user-friendly."

Councilor Cheryl Leeman said the expansion plan is similar to what a city committee she served on 20 years ago envisioned.

"My God," she said as she looked out over the construction site, "it's pretty amazing to see how the airport has expanded so efficiently and tastefully."

Turner Construction Co., an international firm with a regional office in Boston, is managing the project. Construction started on March 15 and is scheduled to be completed by Feb. 1, 2012.

The project is expected to employ 90 to 100 people for 22 months. It was originally scheduled for completion in October 2009, but was delayed in the fall of 2008 because the nation's financial crisis made it difficult to get financing and impossible to find a company to insure the debt.

The original underwriter was Bear Stearns, a global investment bank and securities-trading brokerage that collapsed. The bank was later bought by J.P. Morgan, which is now underwriting the project.

A federal grant and a $4.50 fee on every ticket will pay for the project. Passengers already are paying the fees, with the money paying down debts that will soon be retired.

Additional funding will come from rent paid by new vendors in the expanded terminal. The federal Transportation Security Administration is providing $9.1 million for security upgrades.
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Paul Bradbury, director of the jetport, says the jetport expansion project will use state-of-the-art energy efficiency and green technology in its construction and use.
 
Good for the airport.

The article says "three new gates" but the rendering shows 4 new gates. Typo, or has the project been adjusted?
 
Lrfox, The new terminal will actually have four jetways but only three of them will be new. The additional jetway is from former Gate 11 which had to be relocated from the side of the building due to the start of construction. When the project is completed PWM will have 9 "real" jetways and one extra long boarding ramp with 3 docks for RJ's which is currently Gate 2 A/B/C. Manchester has 14 jetways for comparison purposes.

Portland's new terminal is also designed for a permanent passenger bridge to the west which will allow additional jetways to be added as needed. This part of the expansion was removed due to budget limitations but will be an easy add on in the future. When all is said and done, PWM will have the newest and most modern passenger terminal in New England. Now all we need is a new arena and a convention center!
 
Portlander said:
When all is said and done, PWM will have the newest and most modern passenger terminal in New England. Now all we need is a new arena and a convention center!
Click to expand...

That's got me thinking about the types of responses I have seen in print/online on this terminal expansion vs. construction of a new arena. I am completely generalizing, but it seems like more people are on-board (stupid pun) with money being spent on airport upgrades compared to civic center upgrades/replacement. From what I recall, the airport expansion is heavily subsidized and we are getting a great deal on it. But both the airport and the civic center 'belong to the taxpayers' and the city/county and both are civic structures that benefit a wide range of people within and beyond city borders.

A lot of reactions about a new civic center/convention center from 'out-of-towners' that live within the county are "why should I care about something built in Portland? I don't go to hockey games, it's a waste of my tax-money, etc." But I get the feeling that those same people completely support improvements to other county infrastructure located within the city such as the airport and other transportation infrastructure. I know they are different things and I am ranting but both are important assets of Portland and the surrounding areas and should be treated as so.
 
agreed. Although I think it is fair to say more people travel than go to events at Civic Centers, so if they frame it as ""I don't use the civic center, but I fly" then it sort of makes sense. Sort of, but not really. The civic center has economic spin off benefits for even those who do not attend shows at the venue.
 
Corey, Maybe they should add a one or two dollar user fee per ticket for Civic Center events like they do for plane tickets. That money could go towards expansion/renovation of the building or even construction of a new arena. A local option sales tax will probably never fly and because we are not the Governor's hometown, we'll never have any casino revenue targeted for a new arena like Bangor does!
 
The task force assigned to study this issue for the umpteenth time said that renovating is a short term fix and that, eventually, the arena needs to be rebuilt elsewhere. It is going to be rebuilt! Also, the governor's office is up for change, which will be great. Rosa Scarcceli is a Portland native and a developer who employs over 100 people in her business. She is also a front runner for the Dems. Also, the Republican candidate who is the former president of Husson University seems very pro growth (has some interesting ideas about an east west highway in maine and new and innovative energy policies). If either one gets elected, the sales tax would be more likely (or at least some sort of public policy favoring development).
 
The new jetport parking lot, formerly a wooded area across from the Hilton Garden Inn, is making quick progress. I look forward to more updates and photos on the expansion page. I was hoping for a construction cam but didn't see one.
 
Air Canada kicked off it's new service between Portland and Toronto today with two flights daily. This new destination, along with current service to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia helps make the "International" in our airport's name sound a little more legitimate! Rumor has it that Montreal may be next on the horizon.
 
I would love it if Montreal had direct service. How awesome would that be?

Good seeing you today Jim. Keep us updated on your inside scoop about the jetport. Should look fantastic when complete, can't wait to see how different it looks driving in under the walkway.
 
Corey, new photos on the terminal expansion page. Looks like they are going to make an effort with regular updates.
 
I drive by the jetport every couple of days to keep track of the progress. I was thrilled the first time I saw this new access road, last week. The approach looks so much more "official" for lack of a better word. You get the sense that you have arrived somewhere. I like it a lot.
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This modern-looking structure is an elevator enclosure on the fifth floor of the new jetport parking garage. The expansion project also includes new surface lots for parking.
A milestone for jetport expansion
Work is done on an access road that is expected to make it easier to use the new section of terminal.

By Tom Bell tbell@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

PORTLAND ? The $75 million expansion of the Portland International Jetport won't be finished until 2012, but the project has already reached its first milestone -- the completion of a new access road leading to the soon-to-be-expanded terminal.
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A median strip divides the access road into two sets of lanes, one set that will serve a new departure area and the other set to take drivers to a passenger pickup area.

Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer
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The one-way, $3.6 million road runs below ground level so it will be at the same elevation as the new terminal entrance. Massive concrete retaining walls run along the roadsides.

A median strip divides the road into two sets of lanes. The two lanes on the right will take motorists to a planned new departure area where they can drop off passengers. The lanes on the left will allow motorists to bypass departure-area congestion and drive directly to the baggage claim area to pick up passengers, said Paul Bradbury, airport director.

"The critical functioning we have now is convenience," Bradbury said.

For the time being, motorists heading to the short-term parking garage must first drive past the terminal to access the garage. Crews will eventually build a new garage entrance.

Some visitors say the new road surprised them. Michael Kahn, a Connecticut resident with a summer home in Mount Vernon, said he was "momentarily confused" when his car first entered the new road.

Robert Petty of Pittsburgh complained that he couldn't find where to return his car because fabric-covered fences along the construction site were blocking views.

"Being at the airport is hard enough. I don't need any additional stress," he said.

But Lisa Ballou of Scarborough, who dropped off her brother at the airport, said she was excited to see the new road. When she was last here in June, nothing had been built, she said.

"All of a sudden -- bam! It was a huge change," she said. "It's great. The airport needs a little updating, a little pizazz."

The road is an extension of the International Parkway. It is part of the most ambitious expansion in the airport's history and the largest construction project now taking place in Maine.

The project will nearly double the size of the terminal, adding 137,000 square feet of space. Airport officials say that will allow the terminal to handle an anticipated increase in passengers.

The project will add three gates, eight passenger screening lanes and a new baggage-handling system, capable of in-line explosives detection, to the terminal. Now, there aren't enough gates to support another airline.

A new pedestrian bridge over the new access road will allow people to park in the adjacent garage and walk directly to baggage and security screening areas.

A federal grant and a $4.50 fee on every ticket will pay for the project. Passengers already are paying the fees, with the money paying down debts that will soon be retired.
 
Didn't see this thread earlier.........

The newest architectural rendering of the Portland Jetport terminal expansion:

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Thanks for posting, looks great. I drove by today and they are sheathing the outside of the frame now.
 
The expansion is coming along nicely. I drive through it on the bus most days and am pretty impressed. Here's a photo taken today from far away of a part of the expansion:

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