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Midway Airport
Chicago, Illinois
The Midway Terminal Design Associates, led by A. Epstein and Sons International, Inc., developed the Chicago Midway Airport New Passenger Terminal, a $448 million facility that replaced the existing terminal built in 1947. Chicago Midway Airport has an important position in the domestic air transportation network, and the City of Chicago made a commitment to significantly upgrade the existing facilities.
As the lead firm, along with HNTB for design and McDonough Associates for civil engineering, Epstein's responsibilities included project management and administration, terminal structural engineering, and preparation of architectural and structural construction documents. Epstein coordinated the efforts of the Midway Terminal Design Associates, a consortium of six firms, each with extensive airport terminal design experience.
The new terminal was sized for aircraft from commuter planes to 757's. The design reflects the character and style of the Midway Airport tenants, where success is based on low fares and economical operations, combined with a very positive image and a sense of "class". An important consideration is that the terminal be easy for the passenger to understand and use. The terminal was further designed to blend with surrounding neighborhood homes and businesses.
One of the primary features of the New Midway Terminal is the pedestrian bridge that unites the new terminal and concourse buildings across Cicero Avenue. This 270 foot long, 60 foot wide, glass and steel structure spanning Cicero Avenue will be used by all and contains a moving walkway to accommodate these passengers. It was designed to reiterate the terminal and concourse architectural design of abundant natural light and high, exposed structural steel. The design allows for City of Chicago sponsored promotional installations, temporary art displays and plantings.
Epstein worked on the terminal and related projects for almost ten years. The projects completed during this time frame included the terminal, a new parking structure, underground stormwater retention, toll plaza, and entrances and exits, all of which were coordinated to minimize the impact of the airport's day-to-day operations. Because of Epstein's phasing plan, Midway Airport remained fully operational through all phases of construction. The new terminal opened in the fall of 2001 to critical acclaim.
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