Iron workers reach for the top

Iron workers topped out the new Midfield Terminal at Metro Airport Aug. 9, moving the mile-long structure another step toward completion.

"The $1.2 billion Midfield Terminal Project is the largest public works project in the history of our state," said Wayne County Executive Ed McNamara. "This, by far, is one of the most important projects our community and state will ever see, and its completion is just 17 months away. The steel and concrete now in place stands as real proof that the best is yet to come."

The last structural beam - 88-feet long, weighing 10 tons and manufactured by Havens Steel in Kansas City - was placed by operator Shawn Phillips and iron workers Mike Radja and Jeff Zemback at the north end of the East Concourse, and was actually an "ending out" of the project, said Tim Brown, project superintendent for National Riggers and Erectors.

The first steel went up Aug. 11, 1999 - so all the structural steel took two days short of a year to erect. "There have been a bunch of good, hard-working people on this project," Brown said. MBM Fabricators also made steel for the project.

The project currently employs some 1,300 Hardhats - and all of them enjoyed a hamburger and sausage lunch after the topping out, courtesy of Northwest Airlines. Almost as impressive as the new terminal building was the caterer's ability to serve lunch to that many people in less than an hour.

"We thank the building trades and our subcontractors for their cooperation and hard work on this project," said Mike Kerr, president of the Hunt Group, the project's general contractor. "We have a long way to go, but with the good work of the building trades and our subs, this will be one of the best projects ever."

According to Northwest Airlines and Wayne County, the Midfield Terminal is comprised of 14,500 tons of structural steel, 120,000 cubic yards of concrete, 2 million feet of wire and cable (enough to stretch from Detroit to Toronto), 400,000 feet of heating and cooling piping, 150,000 feet of ductwork requiring two million lbs. of sheet metal, and 45 air handling units.

The new Midfield Terminal will feature 99 gates, 18 luggage carousels, an 11,500-space parking garage and an automated express train system. The terminal is set to open in December 2001.

"This terminal is a shining example of what can be done with teamwork," said Airport Director Lester Robinson. "We're thankful there has been no loss of life in building this terminal, and we applaud the iron workers and the other building trades for the job they've done."

ONLY 363 DAYS after the first steel was erected at Metro Airport Midfield Terminal, iron workers bolted the last 88-foot-long section.