Nashville International Airport Renovation Project, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Nashville International Airport is situated five miles southeast of Nashville and serves the southeastern regions of Tennessee. The airport receives on average 424 flights a day and 16 different airlines operate from the facility. In 2005 the airport handled almost 9.5 million passengers.

The airport has four concourses A to D (D is not currently in use) and four runways, three asphalt and one paved with concrete, varying in length from just under 8,000ft to over 11,000ft.

In 2005 the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) decided that the airport required a facelift and a degree of remedial work to keep it up to the standards expected by passengers, following 19 years of use since the last update. The terminal renovation is scheduled into three phases to be completed over a period of five years. The renovation works, which are due to start in October 2006, have an estimated cost of $47m.

NASHVILLE AIRPORT RENOVATION WORK

In September 2006 the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Board of Commissioners awarded the construction contract for the Nashville International Airport terminal renovation project to Brentwood-based Bell Construction Company for the first phase. The company's bid came in just under $37m and was the lowest bidder among two other competing firms, Hardaway Construction Corporation and Walbridge Aldinger / Retenbach Construction Company, for the three-year first-phase project.

The renovation will include construction of a consolidated security checkpoint comprised of 11 lanes (to improve on the current seven), flanked by decorative water walls (these will use the locally sourced cream-coloured limestone), local and national brand-named food / beverage and news / gift concessions, a new HVAC system to improve temperature control, updated comfortable waiting areas, the installation of two 12ft flight monitors on the north and south ends of the terminal ticketing lobby, new windows in the terminal to give a better view of the runway and additional skylights.

Phase two will begin in 2009 and will involve renovation of all existing restrooms and construction of larger restrooms on the ground transportation level. Phase three will begin in 2010 and involve concourse and terminal carpeting and elevator renovations.

CONCESSIONS

Travel retailer Hudson Group and its partners were selected to upgrade the news / gift and specialty retail concession program at Nashville International Airport as part of the terminal renovation project. The available spaces were grouped into two separate packages.

Following a competitive bidding process, the MNAA awarded both packages (all the available retail space) to Hudson and its partners J&B Enterprises, CBR Inc and Olympic Supply Inc. The retail contract will run for ten years and the Hudson Group will provide a targeted mix of news stands, bookstores and specialty retail concepts that are specifically designed to meet the airport's requirements while capturing the distinctive sounds, flavours and spirit of Nashville.

The airport is also to restructure the restaurant services it provides by removing its central facility and introducing 23 smaller restaurant concessions mostly from the local area, which provide a range of food choices from burgers to Chinese, Mexican, Italian or just coffee.

TAXIWAY UPGRADE

In August 2006 the MNAA received a $1.3m federal grant from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to aid in financing rehabilitation for taxiway T-2 at Nashville. DOT awarded the grant in support of the project, facilitating construction of the taxiway upgrade that will consist of a full depth reconstruction and new asphalt.

Located at the north end of runway 2L-20R, taxiway T-2 provides direct access to concourses A and B. The taxiway rehabilitation will allow the airport to continue its unrivalled safety record. This is just a small part of a $11m airfield improvement program instigated in 2006, using funds obtained from DOT and the FAA.