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Skanska-Halmar JV Helps Quiet Confusion at JFK Airport

Skanska-Halmar JFK JV is aiding in easing congestion at JFK Airport with a $1.24 billion project including a new parking facility, pedestrian bridge, and sustainable features. The project aims to enhance passenger flow and airport infrastructure, with completion set for December 2027.

Thu January 23, 2025 - Northeast Edition #3
Chuck MacDonald – CEG CORRESPONDENT


Construction joint venture Skanska-Halmar JFK JV is working on a $1.24 billion project that includes a roadway reconfiguration; a parking facility with nearly 2,000 spaces; and a 400-ft. long pedestrian bridge.
Photo courtesy of Skanska-Halmar, Skanska Halmar JFK JV
Construction joint venture Skanska-Halmar JFK JV is working on a $1.24 billion project that includes a roadway reconfiguration; a parking facility with nearly 2,000 spaces; and a 400-ft. long pedestrian bridge.
Construction joint venture Skanska-Halmar JFK JV is working on a $1.24 billion project that includes a roadway reconfiguration; a parking facility with nearly 2,000 spaces; and a 400-ft. long pedestrian bridge.   (Photo courtesy of Skanska-Halmar, Skanska Halmar JFK JV) Crews place concrete for the pedestrian bridge columns 
at JFK airport.   (Photo courtesy of Skanska-Halmar, Skanska Halmar JFK JV) Workers erect the curved bridge girders.   (Photo courtesy of Skanska-Halmar, Skanska Halmar JFK JV) Crews are using a Juntann PM29 pile driver on the project at JFK Airport.   (Photo courtesy of Skanska-Halmar, Skanska Halmar JFK JV) Seen here is the progression of the work team’s foundation construction for the ground transportation center (garage).   (Photo courtesy of Skanska-Halmar, Skanska Halmar JFK JV) The team will be rehabbing one of the flyover bridges rather than removing/replacing the bridge. This will result in further savings of material and time.   (Photo courtesy of Skanska-Halmar, Skanska Halmar JFK JV)

John F. Kennedy International Airport, located in Queens, N.Y., is a beehive of activity, welcoming approximately 62 million passengers each year; it also is the busiest international entry point in the country. Adding to the motion is a hum of construction activity as a multi-billion upgrade is happening at two of the terminals.

Construction joint venture Skanska-Halmar JFK JV is working to calm some of this confusion with a $1.24 billion project that includes a roadway reconfiguration, a parking facility with nearly 2,000 spaces and a 400-ft. long pedestrian bridge. The Skanska-Halmar JFK JV also will be building retaining walls, new bridges and performing extensive utility relocations to keep the airport operational during this time.

The construction giant is doing the work as a design-build project and is already seeing significant innovations occur.

David Tullis, vice president of operations of Skanska's USA Civil Northeast, is overseeing the work for the joint venture. Parsons Transportation Group of New York is the lead designer. The joint venture was successful Nov. 19, 2024, in activating a temporary bypass bridge which significantly accelerated access for New Terminal One to complete its frontage and associated work.

Photo courtesy of Skanska-Halmar, Skanska Halmar JFK JV

Another milestone in the planning process occurred when the team reimagined the parking garage.

"The Port Authority has given the proposers a lot of room for innovation in the procurement stage," said Tullis. "The original concept called for active roadways to pass through the garage. This would require huge ventilation systems, hardening systems and a lot of risk during construction."

The design-build team opted to build a parking facility with an additional floor, reducing the footprint and eliminating active public roads through the garage. This plan allowed the construction team to work independent of the busy roadways. The revised plan improves construction access and significantly reduces risk and cost.

"We are excited about the green aspects of the project as well," said Tullis. "Our team is building a rainwater harvesting system and irrigated landscape on the roof to lower the carbon footprint. The façade of the garage will be timber, softening what would otherwise be a concrete jungle of infrastructure."

The Skanska-Halmar JFK JV team also is employing traditional recycling methods now common in the construction industry.

"All of the concrete debris is to be brought to a centralized area for crushing and redistributing for use as subbase for roads and backfill to support other structures," said Tullis.

In addition, the team will rehab one of the flyover bridges rather than removing/replacing the bridge to save material and time.

Roads, Bridges

Skanska-Halmar JFK JV is building six new bridges as part of the project. The construction team will be using approximately 45,000 tons of asphalt, 40,000 cu. yds. of concrete and more than 4,000 tons of bridge steel. The new pedestrian bridge is still being designed; it promises to be an architectural marvel with a stunning appearance, yet completely functional in moving travelers from the parking facility to New Terminal One.

While the joint venture's work will contain many unique elements, the team will stay focused on the basics.

Photo courtesy of Skanska-Halmar, Skanska Halmar JFK JV

"Our plan is to unify the infrastructure for the Port," said Tullis. "Of course, we want our work to be cohesive and aesthetically pleasing. But we want to make it easy for travelers to see where they are going and how to get there."

The project will require several phases, including relocating utilities, foundation work and building temporary roads. The joint venture also must demolish and relocate several toll plazas as it reconstructs parking infrastructure. All the work must be done while maintaining airport operations.

The construction team is finding drones to be an effective tool for capturing progress on the site. The joint venture is using 3D utility scans of new utility work and providing those to the owner along with asset management data for future use.

"The work here at JFK has been a challenging and exciting," said Tullis. "When completed, the new roadway infrastructure and ground transportation center will improve passenger flow, increase parking and provide more intuitive and efficient wayfinding."

The work is scheduled to wrap up by December 2027. CEG


Chuck MacDonald

Chuck MacDonald is an editor, blogger and freelance feature writer whose writing adventures have taken him to 48 states and 10 countries. He has been the editor for magazines on pavement construction, chemicals, insurance and missions. Chuck enjoys bicycling, kayaking and reading. He graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. Chuck lives in Annapolis, Md. with his wife Kristen. They have seven grandchildren.


Read more from Chuck MacDonald here.





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