Airport officials say the $1 billion "Green Build," the largest renovation project in the 80-year history of San Diego International Airport, is likely to make its impact on the local economy long before the work's scheduled 2013 completion.

According to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, which oversees the airport, the project by the time it is finished will have created 1,000 jobs during construction. Contracts totaling $146.8 million will have been awarded to local businesses, including $38.1 million to small businesses.

On the matter of ecology, the project has been designed to minimize the airport's long-range energy-use footprint, with the expansion having registered for eventual Silver certification in the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, program.

"The decision was made very early on in the planning process to go for LEED certification," said airport spokesman Steven Shultz.

Preliminary construction got started in 2009, and work on the Terminal 2 expansion was well under way last year. The terminal work had its topping-out in early June, marking the conclusion of steel placement on that phase of the project.

When work is complete, the airport will have 10 new gates, aimed at reducing terminal congestion, and a dual-level roadway to relieve curb-front traffic tie-ups by separating arriving and departing passengers.

Curbside to Concessions Upgrades

Curbside check-in technology is being updated, security lanes are being added, and the airport will also have expanded concessions areas.

The remodel is designed to expand on existing use of natural light throughout the facility, and Shultz said the energy-efficiency priorities go beyond the places that passengers will see.

Employee changing rooms and other behind-the-scenes facilities are being equipped with the most efficient lighting; workers will drive low-emission vehicles around the airport; and photovoltaic cells will line rooftops throughout the operations.

Construction materials are being recycled throughout the building process, and only low-emission paints and coatings are being used on wall and floor surfaces.

The terminal expansion is being done by a partnership that includes Turner Construction Co., PCL Construction Services Inc. and Flatiron Construction Corp.

Dan McGuckin, a project director with Turner Construction who is overseeing the terminal work, said that by mid-August the construction site will see the arrival of one of the region's first "green" construction-site worker trailers, with solar cells, water-saving technologies and other self-sufficient amenities aimed at minimizing energy use as the work proceeds.

Technology Cutting Paperwork

That follows a construction process that has deployed the latest building information modeling technology, where design, construction and related plans are updated continually in real time via computers and mobile devices. One result is a nearly paperless process that in itself is saving time and material costs.

"A project this size would normally generate very large amounts of paperwork," McGuckin said.

The terminal expansion will add 460,000 square feet to Terminal 2. The "land side" road work outside the terminal, being over-seen by the contracting firm Kiewit/Sundt, will include the use of drought-resistant landscaping, and may eventually include parking spaces being set up for electric vehicles.

The Green Build's $1 billion cost--approximately $865 million for construction and the remainder in financing costs--is being funded by user fees, airport revenue bonds, airport cash and grants from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The aviation industry for the past few years has made several moves to reduce the eco-impact of commercial air travel. According to the Air Transport Association, an industry trade group, U.S. airlines emitted 418 billion pounds of carbon dioxide in 2007.

In the last five years, at least 25 international airports around the U.S. have begun or completed multimillion-dollar renovations, in cities such as San Francisco, San Jose, Boston, Chicago and New York City.

Airports have been installing more efficient lighting, heating and cooling systems; making use of fuel-sipping shuttles and internal operational vehicles; and boosting water and electricity conservation efforts, among other changes.

Since 2005, the FAA also has funded 42 low-emission projects at 22 airports, representing an investment of $115 million in clean airport technology, according to the agency.