Airport Work Goes On Amid Legal Dogfights : Construction: Despite the firing of the project’s chief contractor from a garage job, the John Wayne expansion remains scheduled for a Sept. 16 opening.

Delays and disputes are nothing new to the John Wayne Airport expansion, but they erupted with unusual intensity last week, culminating in the firing of the project’s chief contractor from a $25-million parking garage and roadway project.

But by Friday, as the dust began to settle on the week’s histrionics and finger-pointing, county officials and others said they believe that the expansion is back on track.

The result, they said, is that county residents can count on seeing their new and improved $310-million airport no later than Sept. 16--the scheduled opening date.

“At this point, we believe that everything should be completed on time, barring a natural disaster or something,” said John McCarney, project director for HPV, a consortium of companies being paid $23 million to oversee the expansion. “I think we’re in good shape.”

Even at their worst, the county’s disputes with Taylor Woodrow Construction California Ltd., the firm that was fired from the parking garage contract, only affect part of the complex expansion. Seven of nine major construction contracts are being handled by other companies, and four of them--two freeway access projects, a parking garage and a bridge--are already finished.

There have been delays in some other projects, but supervisors say all are now on schedule.

“There’s a renewed sense of enthusiasm, I believe,” Supervisor Thomas F. Riley, whose district includes the airport, said Friday. “We sent a message out this week, and the folks out there have gotten it.”

Of the contracts that remain to be completed, the most important is the $60-million terminal construction, the cornerstone of the expansion. That contract is still Taylor Woodrow’s, and county officials said the prospect of terminal delays played a major role in prompting the county to move against the company.

But the company agreed last week to conditions intended to speed up work on the terminal, so county officials said they are confident that the job will be finished by middle to late August, in time to get the new airport open in September.

Those conditions involve adding workers to the job, moving to a six-day workweek and regulating the system for paying subcontractors. These steps went into effect Wednesday. By Friday, county officials said, they already sensed a difference at the work site.

“There’s been a noticeable increase in the labor force, and it will continue to increase next week,” HPV’s McCarney said. “We’re very pleased.”

Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez, who met Friday morning to discuss the airport with County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider and Assistant Administrative Officer Murry Cable, said his impression is that the terminal project is back in full swing.

Meanwhile, work on the other phases of the project continue, and airport officials said they do not foresee problems with any of the other major construction jobs that would delay the opening.

That’s not to say that there have not been other problems, however. Earlier this month, officials acknowledged that part of the concrete “apron” outside the passenger terminal failed a mandatory strength test. The apron had run into other problems previously when it turned out it was not level.

But airport officials and representatives of Ball, Ball & Brosamer Inc., which is building the apron, insist that it will be finished in June or July, well before the opening.

“Everything’s looking pretty good,” said Jim Keown, area manager for the construction company. “There was some discrepancy in the test results, but there’s never really been any question about this project affecting the overall airport. We won’t delay the opening.”

Of the other remaining projects, the east parking garage is the largest. It is scheduled for completion in August.

There are, of course, no guarantees. For months, county officials labored under the assumption that the expansion would open April 1, only to see that deadline come and go.

John Wayne Airport Expansion Several major construction projects remain at John Wayne Airport, but county officials and project managers say all of them will be finished in time for the airport to open Sept. 16. 1. Northwest parking garage and elevated road: Taylor Woodrow Construction California Ltd. held this $25-million contract until May 22, when the Board of Supervisors fired the company. The county’s project managers are searching for a replacement while Taylor Woodrow has filed a lawsuit, demanding to be reinstated. County officials predict a completion date of June. 2. New airport terminal: Taylor Woodrow was allowed to keep this $60-million contract, on condition that it accelerate the work schedule. The company has agreed, and the county predicts completion by September, though it is pushing for Taylor Woodrow’s work to be finished in August. 3. East parking garage and lower-level road: This garage will run the length of the terminal and is being built by McCarthy Brothers Co. at a cost of $24.4 million. The road should be finished in June and the garage in August. 4. Terminal apron and taxiways:. Despite tests that found flaws in the concrete “apron”, county officials now say the $14.2-million project is on track for completion in July. It is being built by Ball, Ball & Brosamer Inc. 5. Southwest parking garage: Built by Bomer Construction, the $10.8-million parking area, identical to the northwest garage, is already completed and open.