Soaring high: Major repair project takes flight at Miami International Airport
MIAMI — Signs scattered throughout Miami International Airport: Block access to elevators, escalators, walkways, and the Skytrain.
"I missed my workout, so I was looking for an extra walk," shared half-kidding Kris Smith, a traveler flying through MIA. "That's actually a plus. Is that a feature?"
"When we came in, we had to walk probably a mile," added a woman who goes by Margaret.
Story of inconvenience from weary travelers who had to walk because the Skytrain is still not up and running — nearly six months after it went down
It came after a bi-annual inspection a couple of months prior, where they found out that there were cracks in the support column. So, they shut the whole thing down. It's been under repair since, and we're told they hope to have the Skytrain up and running by the end of March.
Airport Director and CEO Ralph Cutie adds some of those units are 40 to 60 years old.
"Way beyond their useful life," said a forthcoming Cutie.
And, it will take time to replace each unit.
"Modernization of a moving walkway or an escalator can take up to a year, depending on the size of the unit," added Cutie.
He says out of the 616 total, only 8% in the airport are currently out of commission. So, why does it seem like a windfall all at once?
"See the percentage units down," said Cutie. "You see, in some areas, they are high visibility because they get highly trafficked. All of those customer touch points that affect the customer's path of travel, we are actively addressing.
We only saw a snapshot needing repair by departures outside the D gates, between doors 5 & 10, and on the third level by walkways.
In a press conference, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said last month that the county deferred maintenance before her tenure.
"The mayor was referring to large maintenance, upgrades, and upgrade projects that have to be done that perhaps in the past were not as big a priority," said Cutie, adding perspective.
Meanwhile, a much more expansive project takes flight.
"Modernization and expansion of the terminal and the different concourses in the terminal," shared an excited Cutie.
MIA provided an exclusive look at the $7 billion Capital Improvement Project: Airport-wide upgrades to ticket counters and checkpoints while transforming concourses to add gates and concessions.
"To accommodate the explosive passenger growth we're seeing," said Cutie.
He projects 77 million passengers to travel through MIA by 2040.
The vision of a new MIA is underway, with the target date to reach the finish line within 15 years for the 150 projects tied to the Capital Improvement Project.