The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) board has voted to award the contract for the multimodal connector pedestrian bridge and rental car lobby at Orlando International Airport (MCO) to the Weitz Company.
Initially part of Terminal C Phase 1, the project was deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Following passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), federal funding enabled the aviation authority to update its capital improvement plan to include the ground transportation facility (GTF) pedestrian bridge program.
The contract provides for the design and construction of an approximately 450ft (137m) elevated, enclosed and air-conditioned pedestrian walkway and adjacent rental car lobby area. The facility will provide travelers and visitors with convenient access to Terminal C, the train station, the Terminal Link automated people mover connector to the North Terminal and Parking Garage C. The project will also comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and provide accessibility for all individuals, including four moving walkways, elevators, escalators and stairs to navigate between the two facilities. Funding for the US$113m project comes from several sources including FAA BIL grants, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) grants and customer facility charges.
Kevin Thibault, CEO of GOAA, said, “More important, as we implement this pedestrian bridge, are the number of items we put back, including the moving walkways, building out the rental car lobby the way it needed to be and using a new procurement process that got us to the best technology with the lowest price. Immediately after opening Terminal C, we started on the procurement for this. We were very fortunate in working with Washington to get federal funds to help support this expansion.”
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