PHX Terminal 3 New North Concourse

Project Overview

The Terminal 3 North Concourse at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a new 6-gate common-use facility designed to expand capacity while improving operational efficiency and passenger experience. The project required the integration of a new concourse, elevated connector bridge, and underground tunnel within one of the airport’s most constrained and infrastructure-dense zones.

Project Facts

  • Client: City of Phoenix Aviation Department

  • Location: Phoenix, Arizona

  • Construction Value: ~$500M

  • Scope: New concourse, apron, connector bridge, and tunnel interface

  • Role: Lead Project Manager

The Challenge

The project presented a unique combination of physical, operational, and strategic constraints:

  • Integration into an active, utility-heavy airfield and landside corridor

  • Coordination of new structures across multiple elevations (bridge, concourse, tunnel)

  • Maintaining uninterrupted airport operations during construction

  • Delivering the project on an accelerated schedule driven by executive leadership

  • Balancing design ambition with strict cost and delivery constraints

In parallel, the airport sought to elevate its passenger experience and technological capabilities beyond its existing baseline.

My Role

As Lead PM, I was responsible for overall design leadership, stakeholder alignment, and technical coordination across a multidisciplinary team of ~20 consultants.

I operated at the intersection of:

  • Design vision and innovation

  • Technical delivery and constructability

  • Client and executive stakeholder priorities

In addition to managing scope, schedule, and budget, I served as the project’s aviation subject matter expert, guiding key decisions around terminal planning, passenger experience, and technology integration.

Key Contributions

  • Led integrated design and stakeholder engagement process
    Facilitated workshops with executive leadership, operations, and technical teams to align project goals and priorities.

  • Balanced innovation with delivery discipline
    Navigated competing directives between executive ambitions and project constraints, ensuring the design remained both forward-looking and achievable.

  • Introduced new airport-wide digital infrastructure strategy
    Helped implement a centralized digital content management system, including a concourse-wide video wall for gate information and airport communications.

  • Defined and executed innovation roadmap
    Identified six key innovation opportunities; successfully implemented five, significantly advancing the airport’s capabilities.

  • Strengthened internal client capabilities
    Helped the airport establish new operational and technological capabilities that did not previously exist in-house.

Outcome

The project successfully advanced as a high-performance, future-ready concourse that integrates operational efficiency, passenger clarity, and digital infrastructure into a cohesive design solution.

It positioned Phoenix Sky Harbor to:

  • Improve passenger experience through clarity and visibility

  • Expand technological capabilities across the terminal environment

  • Deliver a complex capital project within aggressive schedule and budget constraints