I’ve wanted to get a close look — as close as possible, anyway — at construction progress on the $1.5 billion Kansas City International terminal for a long time, but I’d never had the occasion or the time to roam around the development site.
That changed this morning, when I took Patty to the airport for a trip to New York.
After I dropped her off at Terminal C, I thought I might as well roam around the airport grounds and see how close I could get to the construction area. Surprisingly, I did pretty well.
My first stop was the main construction entrance on Bogota Avenue, which is north of the existing terminals. Here’s what greeted me there.
This is as far as I went because all those signs say something like, “Authorized Vehicles Only,” and my Camry hybrid was not such a one.
Nevertheless, you can see the multi-level parking garage on the left and the shell of the terminal building, with the Y-shaped support beams.
For comparison’s sake, here is a rendering of what the terminal is supposed to look like when it’s finished.
Now, I was afraid I might not be able to get any closer than the “authorized vehicles only” entrance, but, being an adventurer, I pushed on, going farther along Bogota Avenue.
After about a quarter of a mile, I reached an open gate that was clearly restricted to authorized vehicles, but there was no security, so I parked across the street and walked through the gate. I didn’t go very far but far enough to get this photo of the back side of the terminal, with the KCI tower in the background…
To the right of the white truck, I saw the long corridor that people will go down to get to their gates.
One thing I can tell you for sure is work is going on in earnest. I saw dozens of workers and dozens of vehicles going into and moving around the site. It was impressive.
Outside the gate where I took the photos were two cement storage silos owned by Clarkson Construction Co., a longtime Kansas City company that is one of the four main contractors on the job. (The upraised truck — owned by a St. Joseph, MO, company — also contains cement, I believe.)
Clarkson is a family-owned firm that was founded by G.G. (George) Clarkson in the 1880s and is now run by Bill Clarkson Jr., whose father, William E. Clarkson, oversaw construction of the Truman Sports Complex for Jackson County.
The bulk of Clarkson’s business is highway and bridge building and asphalt work.
The other three main construction companies involved in the job are Edgemoor Infrastructure and Real Estate of Bethesda, MD; Clark Construction Group, which is affiliated with Edgemoor; and The Weitz Co. of Des Moines.
Through the city’s one-percent-for-art program, about $5.5 million will be spent on art projects in and around the terminal. One of the art projects is a digital fountain, called Fountain of Resonance, that will capture and reflect natural light in the retail area near Concourse A. Here’s a rendering of the make-believe fountain.
…From a distance and from renderings, the new terminal looks good. I hope it’s more than good; I hope it’s jaw dropping. We won’t know, though, until at least early 2023, the projected completion date.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
The real question is whether or not you’ll be able to get decent food there regardless the hour or if they’ll roll up the sidewalks at 5 like they do now.
I’m worried about bathrooms after passing through security.
I’ll bet there will be plenty of good options for food and relief.
I’ve heard about a couple of the restaurants, and they sound promising. One is a proposed “City of Fountains Beer Garden.”
That should lengthen the lines at the urinals.
Tom — For a guy who lives in LA and gets here maybe once every year or so, you’re awfully concerned about bladder problems. (Although I share that preoccupation.)
You gave away my age.
Seriously, prior to the city settling on an airport plan, you blogged about it. Remind me of your position and have your thoughts evolved?
Because of the disjointed way the last City Council approached it — not putting it out for design proposals, considering a no-bid design-construction deal with Burns & McDonnell and then turning around and asking for more proposals — I’ve been worried from the get-go.
Like I say, it looks fine from the ground now, a little more than halfway through the job, but I’m withholding judgment until it opens and we get a good look at it. There’s every chance it turns out to be very ordinary. Certainly, the design is pretty much cookie-cutter, and that’s very disappointing. I suspect it’s going to be very utilitarian. The artwork could be its salvation. Thank God for the one-percent-for-art program…
For a bit of nostalgia and history, the men’s rooms will have troughs instead of urinals, as a nod to Kemper Arena.