Relief for "terminal congestion."
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| - Horizontal and vertical geometry - Extensive utility relocations - Grading and drainage - Existing traffic signal modifications - Roadway lighting - Extensive traffic control plans - Erosion control plans - Overhead and roadside signage - Pavement markings - Grade separation structure (tunnel) - Retaining walls |
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The last thing a traveler needs when trying to catch a flight is to get caught up in traffic outside the airport. Travelers to and from the Memphis airport may remember that back in the early 2000's, all automobile traffic -- including non-airport traffic -- had to circulate through an at-grade intersection in front of the terminal. Thanks to Pickering's award-winning design, the chances of making that flight on time have been greatly improved. Included in the project were a slip ramp that allows non-airport traffic to "slip" over to Winchester Road, new inbound and outbound airport access roadways, and the widening of Winchester Road, a major urban arterial street that provides the main traffic support for the airport.
A free-flowing design.
The airport had a simple goal in mind for the project: create a free flow for passenger traffic. Accomplishing that was anything but simple.
Non-airport traffic needed to be re-routed from the airport terminal roadways. A traffic signal had to be removed to avoid having intersections that would cause traffic bottlenecks. There needed to be a way to allow non-airport traffic from neighboring hotels and other facilities to exit without interfering with airport traffic. The most logical way to do this was to build a bridge -- but that would have obstructed a proposed parking garage site. Instead, an innovative design that splits the inbound roadway traffic from the outbound roadway traffic was created, with the side benefit of creating room for a 6,000 space, 7-story parking garage, currently under construction. Click here for a time-lapsed view of the parking garage project in progress.
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New FAA requirements resulting from 9/11 dictated how far away the new inbound and outbound roads had to be from the existing, as well as the new air traffic control tower. And numerous utility lines required relocation.
Final touches included architectural flourishes on retaining walls, landscaping, and of course, great directional signage to facilitate a free flow of traffic in and out of the airport.
Accolades.
On March 4, 2008, Pickering firm received a Merit Award at the ACEC state-level competition in the transportation category of the 2008 Annual Engineering Excellence Awards of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) for the project.
In 2009, Pickering received an Honorable Mention in the Memphis City Engineer's Award for Excellence.
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