BOSTON LOGAN OUTLINES PLAN AND SCHEDULE FOR $2BN UPGRADE

Boston Logan operator, Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), has launched a communication plan to inform passengers, employees and tenants about an upcoming series of construction projects at the New England gateway.

According to Massport, the projects will have “major impacts to the travelling public” over the next five years, and include roadway detours starting this autumn.

Massport insists that the upgrades are necessary to prepare Boston Logan International Airport for a growing number of passengers driven by the robust economy and industry trends.

It is branding this campaign ‘Logan Forward’, complete with a new website and a text alert programme coming later this fall to keep the public informed as we make important investments to improve the customer experience at Logan.

In addition, Massport is training airport staff, and will use radio, print and digital advertising to get the word out to our passengers.

There will also be signage throughout the airport terminals and along the roadways. Logan served 40.9 million passengers in 2018, and has nearly 20,000 full and part-time employees.

“Logan Forward is our commitment to improve the passenger experience and we pledge to keep the public informed every step of the way throughout the construction process so they can appropriately plan ahead,” said incoming Massport CEO Lisa Wieland.

“This will be a long process and communication with our passengers will be key.”

The nearly $2 billion capital plan, which Massport believes will improve the efficiency and the customer experience throughout Logan Airport, includes:

• Terminal B to C roadway improvements;

• A new Terminal B-C post-security connection;

• New gates and a 2,000-space parking garage at Terminal E;

• Increased sustainability efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;

• Better access to and more high occupancy vehicle (HOV) transportation options.

A new website www.LoganForward.com has been set up to provide more information about each of these projects, as well as construction timelines and updates.

And a new text alert programme to give passengers, employees and tenants up-to-date messages about road detours and traffic impacts is also said to be in the works and will be available later this year. 

Logan Forward also includes a robust Ground Transportation plan aimed at reducing the airport’s environmental footprint by strategically providing more options for passengers to use HOV, like Logan Express (LEX).

Massport claims that some of the improvements are needed to support the current passenger load and construction for the Terminal B to C roadway improvement project has already begun.

The project will replace the aging roadway infrastructure between the two terminals and significantly reduce traffic congestion, especially during peak hours of operation.

Separate roads for both terminals will ease traffic flow and increase curb space at Terminal C. As part of the Ground Transportation strategy, it also adding new roads to and from the Central Garage to separate App Ride vehicles from other traffic.

“We have a responsibility to build a modern, world-class facility because it is what our airline partners want and passengers expect,” said aviation director, Ed Freni.

“We’re using this as an opportunity to prepare the entire airport for the future and it is critical that we keep the travelling public, airlines and tenants informed every step of the way.

“Not only are our terminal facilities old and need an upgrade, but we are improving the roadway system, reducing congestionand air emissions at the airport and our neighbouring communities,and building more sustainable features at our terminals.”

Built in 1967, Terminal C is Logan’s busiest terminal, home to JetBlue Airways and served over 12 million passengers in 2018.

Construction for the Terminal C Optimization and the Terminal B-C Connector projects will begin next spring.

The combined projects will consolidate the security checkpoints, renovate the public spaces, and expand the food and retail concessions and passenger amenities.

A new concourse connecting Terminals B and C post-security will also be completed in 2021.

The Terminal E Modernization project will add nearly 400,000 square feet of space with 7 new gates, 3 of which were approved in 1995 but never constructed, to the international terminal.

These new gates will be able to serve larger and more energy-efficient aircraft commonly used for international flights.

The project will include new TSA security checkpoints, an expanded ticketing hall, renovations to the existing building, new high-capacity baggage carousels, and improvements to the Customs and Border Protection area to be completed by 2023.

Terminal E was built in 1974 and currently serves 5 million passengers annually who fly to 56 nonstop international destinations.