The SFO BAB T1 project is getting ready for takeoff.

On May 12th, the SFO Boarding Area B team successfully completed stage 2, achieving a major milestone for the design-build project.

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The newest phase adds nine new gates to Terminal 1, including an operations hub for American Airlines. This adds to the first 9 gates which were added in stage one, which were allocated to Southwest and JetBlue. In total, the Austin-Webcor JV team has provided 18 new gates to Boarding Area B, with the total project spanning over 544,630 square feet.

Challenges Overcome

The road to achieving this milestone was far from easy.  Situated in an active airport, the jobsite presented numerous logistical challenges.

“Boarding Area B is surrounded by two active terminals, which means we are always building around active/aircraft operations and full-speed construction from neighboring projects,” explains Assistant Project Manager Hugh Tan.

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To help overcome these challenges, the team held multiple weekly coordination meetings with the airport, airlines, and other concerning parties.  Additionally, the Austin-Webcor JV team was able to rely on subcontracting partners who had ample airport experience.

Superintendent Chris Salmon recalls one instance in which subcontractors were tasked with demolishing the entire tile of five large restrooms and replacing it with tile from Italy in just over a two-week period – with owner walks and events “smack-dab in the middle”.

“Having experienced subcontractors was tremendously helpful since they already know the procedures to conduct work at an active airport,” explains Chris.  “They are all also used to the last-minute changes.”

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Success is in the “Secret Sauce”

The joint venture team credits their success to their relentless desire to continuously improve. While there was an adjustment period in getting used to working as a JV, the team soon hit their stride.

“I believe that both companies have grown for the better,” notes Superintendent Chris Salmon. “We have all had to wear many hats in order to keep our project open and have had to adapt/adjust to every new order that has come out.”

Even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the team persevered to keep the jobsite safe and were permitted to keep their jobsite open throughout the stay-at-home orders.

“Secret sauce – that’s what we call it,” explains Hugh. “We have an extremely high performing team and we take pride on our delivery and the end product. You will naturally get influenced by the positive vibe and excel on what you do."

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Next on deck? The team is now working on stage 3, which will provide a total of 24 gates, and is set to be completed in quarter two of 2021.