Is the new terminal 1 now open at RDU (2014, contractors)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Have someone flying in April 1 to RDU terminal 1 and wondering if the new terminal is now open ?
I don't believe the revamped T1 is open yet - the spate of winter weather undoubtedly pushed back the completion date and I've seen no coverage in the media (particularly the N&O) on T1 opening.
I thought this thing was gonna be done first weekend in march. Best job security is a job not ending.
It was scheduled for March 15th but the snow impacted the contractors' ability to get it finished in time. They are "on schedule" now so it should be finalized mid-April.
The crappy cold weather hasn't allowed them to finish paving the airplane parking area, and they can't open without it. At the time they pushed the opening back in late Feb, they said they were going to announce a new date early March, but I don't think they've done so yet.
RDU website has a big feature banner, but still just says opening "soon".
I believe this project is fixed-price between the airport authority and the prime contractor, so the prime isn't getting more money by sitting on their hands. The subs whose work has finished have already been cut loose.
The flipside is that for the time being, Southwest/Airtran can get by with the number of gates they have at the end of Terminal 1 that isn't being renovated. The T1 project is really about improving the travel experience and providing gates for new airlines or future expansion by Southwest.
Yeah, the terminal itself is pretty much done, but there are lots of lines to be painted on the Tarmac and the weather has been a major issue in getting that done.
And it's probably going to be better overall. I was involved in some bids for a few of the shops going in and their completion dates were always going to be right at or a bit after the official opening. Now they will have time to get most everything done before it's open to the public.
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