Inside Phoenix Sky Harbor’s $368M Terminal 3 expansion: Building a concourse without disrupting operations

Article originally posted on Phoenix Business Journal on May 13, 2026

It’s a show most people could never imagine, and a rare construction operation that occurred on several occasions this spring while most Phoenicians slept. A steel beam weighing as much as seven elephants was lifted off the ground between two massive cranes to become part of a growing airport. For these tandem “steel picks,” the towering cranes were out of sight of each other and had to lift precisely at the same time and height. The operation necessitated increased safety measures along with extremely concise communication and meticulous coordination as construction crews began building the new North Concourse at Phoenix Sky Harbor’s Terminal 3.

Each of the steel beams, weighing more than 66,000 pounds apiece, will be part of the new 173,000 square-foot North 2 Concourse of the John S. McCain III Terminal 3 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The expansion is adding six gates, including flexible gates that are designed to accommodate multiple aircraft types, including widebody aircraft. The expansion helps PHX continue to provide an exceptional passenger experience that meets increasing travel demand in the Valley.

Expansions at Busy Airports Present Surprising Challenges

Bright, solar-powered light plants turn the night into day while Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is quiet, allowing construction to take place while many others are sleeping. In the short window between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., Sky Harbor Boulevard is restricted while the construction teams safely perform the most intrusive tasks, according to McCarthy Building Companies Senior Project Engineer Bo Thorson, who is one of the team members managing the expansion project.

It’s just one of the challenges of building a new concourse and gates amidst the 24-hour/7-day operations at a busy airport. Coordinating construction activities, deliveries and schedules requires an extraordinary team effort led by McCarthy in coordination with HOK|DFDG Architects and the airport. Due to its landlocked location, the airport faces spatial and logistical challenges that complicate major expansion projects.

The challenges started early. Due to tariffs, supply chain issues, and manufacturing delays, McCarthy Project Manager Alejandra Clark began ordering electrical gear 56 weeks before the required delivery dates. She is also responsible for ensuring that 246 miles of cable and conduit are delivered on time to the project site.

While coordinating ordering and delivery logistics with Gena Fong, project scheduler II, Clark needs to confirm that the new telecommunications infrastructure is capable of being seamlessly integrated with the existing North Concourse, while also accommodating future potential improvements. All buildings will be connected to a centralized network, enabling efficient communication and coordination between the systems.

Fong is responsible for building and updating the complete project schedule, which she began planning more than a year ago. The coordination of material deliveries and work on the concourse expansion requires meticulous planning to maintain safety for all personnel and prevent disruptions to the airport’s operational activities. Her schedule accommodates trade flow, staffing, material and equipment procurement and site logistics across the 32-month construction project.

Avoiding Unplanned Disruption of Services

Dozens of direct stakeholders, as well as the public and airport passengers have likely observed the new concourse construction activity from a distance. But Thorson, who is in the middle of field operations and executing complex construction activities and organizing high-risk scopes of work with her large team, strives to avoid any unnecessary disruptions.

To achieve this, the entire project team coordinates daily, or in real time if needed, with airport operations, passengers, design and construction teams, facility and maintenance personnel. This coordination also involves a long list of external agencies, including the Arizona Department of Transportation, the City of Phoenix, and airport vendors and suppliers. The effort requires plan reviews, team alignment, synchronization of schedules, logistics, signage, wayfinding, message boards and many other forms of communication to ensure the project stakeholders understand the plan and the passenger experience remains as fluid as possible.

“Delivering the new Terminal 3 North Concourse requires close coordination across all project partners,” said Assistant Aviation Director and Chief Development Officer Daver Malik. “Our teams are working together with a shared commitment to maintaining safe, efficient operations throughout construction, and being innovative, ensuring that travelers continue to enjoy a seamless, uninterrupted experience.”

With the bridge tie-in to the existing Terminal 3 requiring the temporary closure of a popular coffee shop, great efforts were made to postpone the closure until the last possible day. And team members worked diligently with Sky Harbor to provide signage directing passengers to various other coffee spots serving the North 1 Concourse until the familiar coffee shop can re-open.

How Virtual Design and Innovation Lead to Solutions

Advancements in technology allow for the project to be created and experienced virtually, before a single shovel goes into the ground. Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) is used to create a three-dimensional model of the project’s design and the building process. Digitally, VDC “built” the project step by step. From this model, the team coordinates the schedules for skilled trades and material deliveries, and during digital “construction” the design and construction team can detect and evaluate any potential clashes or challenges that can be resolved preemptively. This tool proves highly beneficial for all project participants, including Clark and her team, who are responsible for extending power throughout the new facility from the airport’s existing infrastructure.

Early planning revealed a challenge for Clark’s team that required extensive coordination to avoid major impact on airport operations. During excavation, an electrical duct bank within the construction zone needed to be exposed and suspended. The power through these conduits feeds Terminal 3 and lighting for two runways and taxiways. The slightest error could result in shutting down the entire Terminal and other facilities.

In close collaboration with the utility, plans were developed and implemented to protect the duct bank while construction occurred around it. It was determined that during the duct bank’s suspension and exposure, the conduit’s position would be measured regularly using a laser to detect even the slightest movement. The effort has been successfully preventing any potential failures.

Engagement during the Design phase has also been essential for Thorson’s team and the structural engineer. The more than 2,200 tons of structural steel being used for columns, beams, girders and joists had to accommodate the structural stability needs of the massive facility expansion. Much of that steel was supplied and installed by Arizona-based companies. With the concourse’s unique engineering to fit into the existing Terminal 3 building, the large beams had to span across Sky Harbor Boulevard and skirt the parking garage. This was a unique challenge for the engineering and construction team.

Some of the beams within the structure required a camber to accommodate its weight. In other words, a slight bend in the steel, which is engineered to flatten out once the load of other steel, concrete, and equipment is applied to it. While some of the engineered camber was unachievable through the typical method of using heat and force, the teams needed to find an alternative camber method on the extremely large beams.

The solution that was developed involved cutting the massive beams into sections and mechanically welding the camber on site. These welds take more than 40 hours each, with multiple welders working over several days.

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