AIRPORT TERMINAL EXPANSION PROJECT TAKES FLIGHT.
Portland International Airport, commonly referred to as “PDX” and one of America’s best airports, anticipates substantial growth over the next two decades. PDX is scaling up in preparation to better serve 35 million passengers annually by undergoing a main terminal expansion project – nearly doubling its size.
A key component of this expansion is the construction of a new, seismically isolated roof structure over the central area of the airport. Mammoet was contracted to jack up, transport, and install twenty roof panels of five distinct types at the airport in Portland, Oregon, USA – all while avoiding passenger disruption.
The roof, crafted mainly from regionally and sustainably sourced wood, was fully prefabricated between the active runways of the airport over the course of a year. Prior to being moved, the roof panels were disconnected into approximately football field sized pieces to be transported to the new terminal expansion.
This allowed the airport to carry-on as usual while minimizing disruption to airport operations. Depending on the type of panel, each was launched, rolled into place, set directly with self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs), or lifted with a crane into its final position.
