$12-Million Skeleton of Steel to Go Up at Airport in February

Erection of structural steel for the new John Wayne Airport passenger terminal will begin in February, helping to ensure on-time completion of the project, according to the consulting firm that is supervising construction.

Two subcontractors hired to build the steel structure at an estimated cost of $12 million agreed Wednesday to begin work Feb. 6 and pledged that all steel will be in place within 6 weeks of the original 1989 completion date, according to Richard Begley, project manager for the consulting firm, HPV Inc.

Electrical, plumbing and other trade work will begin while the steel construction is under way, he said.

Accelerating the Work

“Starting the steel work is the critical item for the whole building,” Begley said Wednesday. “We do not expect that the steel work will interfere with other trades in the building, but we will have to accelerate the rest of the work in order for the building to be done on time.”

The expansion, originally estimated to cost $39 million, was redesigned to cut costs when bids came in at $59.8 million to $66 million. Cost became an issue recently when county officials accused the architect, Leason Pomeroy Associates, of mistakes and delays that resulted in overruns. Redesign has cut at least $10 million from the project cost, now estimated at about $48 million.

The terminal is part of a $300-million expansion of the airport, the largest public works project in county history.

At Wednesday’s meeting, which was not open to the public, steel contractors Stott Inc. of Salt Lake City and Richmond Steel of Houston pledged to complete the steel work by May 15, 1989.

Taylor-Woodrow Corp., the airport general contractor, is expected Jan. 3 to submit a new construction schedule that incorporates the steel start-up date, Begley said.

Because the steel work will take place in phases, the most important part of the terminal building will be completed by mid-March, Allan Murphy, the county’s airport expansion project director, said Wednesday.

“The center of the building will be erected and completed by then, and the trades will be able to begin their work in the building at that time,” Murphy said.

Steel Timetable Is Key

Jan Mittermeier, assistant airport manager, said the structural steel timetable is the key to completing the building on time.

However, Lee Saylor, president of the firm hired by the airport architect to supply cost estimates, said earlier this month that the construction schedule is 6 months too short. Saylor, who has been sharply criticized for estimating costs at $40.8 million, alleged that construction bids had been inflated to cover anticipated $25,000-per-day fines for late completion of the terminal. The terminal’s opening is scheduled April 1, 1990.

Also Wednesday, the Orange County Airport Commission approved $240,000 in design and construction costs for runways and parking areas that will be part of the total $300-million expansion project.