PHOENIX, AZ — Just in time for the busy winter/spring travel season when hundreds of thousands of visitors descend upon the Valley for vacation, the WM Phoenix Open, and Super Bowl 2023, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (Gateway Airport) and local general contractor McCarthy Building Companies have constructed a temporary tension fabric structure to accommodate an increasing number of passengers at the growing airport during its terminal expansion project. The structure provides passengers with comfortable space for efficient travel and allows Gateway Airport to maintain normal operations during construction.

The new, three-gate, 6,300 square-foot, temporary prefabricated facility includes security access controls, free Wi-Fi, PA system, HVAC, flight information displays, charging stations, and seating for over 300 air travelers. The facility was constructed in less than two months and in advance of the busy holiday travel period. It is part of the approximately $28 million terminal expansion project, which is being partially funded by a federal grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). 

Gateway Airport is experiencing record passenger activity and welcomed approximately 2 million total passengers through its doors during 2022. This new temporary structure will provide Gateway Airport’s airlines with the space necessary to maintain operations and minimize disruptions while the airport’s terminal expansion project is underway. When the terminal addition is complete in February 2024, the structure will be repurposed for continued airport use.

“We are excited to begin construction of our new, modern, five-gate, 30,000-square-foot terminal addition,” said Airport Director J. Brian O’Neill, A.A.E. “This much-needed project replaces a substandard, 10,000-square-foot portable facility and will allow the airport to keep pace with continued record growth in the future.”

“The expansion project is a complex expansion with airside work, and the temporary structure is an integral part of the project strategy. Our terminal modernization project team was able to build the temporary holding room structure in a short timeframe within the fully operational Gateway Airport, which necessitated that our team execute it seamlessly and operate within stringent safety guidelines,” said Thomas Assante, Project Director for McCarthy Building Companies. “Our goal is to execute our construction strategy for the modernization while ensuring non-disruption of airport operations and an uncomplicated passenger experience, and successfully completing the temporary holding structure was an initial part of the plan.”