Sky Harbor International Airport Taxiway S Reconstruction

As one of the busiest airports in the U.S., the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport serves tens of millions of passengers a year and continues to grow. To accommodate the increasing number of passengers, Kiewit reconstructed Taxiway S, located between terminals three and four. The taxiway is a central artery connecting the north and south airfields over the busy Sky Harbor Boulevard.

The $33 million design-build project included demolishing the existing taxiway bridge; constructing a 400-foot-long by 200-foot-wide post-tension cast-in-place replacement bridge; paving 50,000 square yards of Portland cement concrete; and reconstructing Sky Harbor Boulevard. In addition, the project scope included 80,000 cubic yards of excavation. The substructure required 9,500 cubic yards of concrete, of which 5,000 cubic yards was built in just 12 weeks and is supported by 76 48-inch to 60-inch drilled shafts.

The new taxiway was open for aircraft in December 2005 following completion of an aggressive eight-month schedule. Through close cooperation with airport authorities, construction was completed with minimal disruptions to the public and airlines. A challenge on the project was keeping traffic moving along Sky Harbor Boulevard, the only landside roadway connecting Terminals 2, 3 and 4. To meet this challenge, a two-lane shoe-fly detour was built under the new taxiway to provide complete access to and from the airport throughout construction.