Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI Marshall) has completed construction on the B/C Connector program. The program includes two major projects to provide a new passenger screening checkpoint to serve Concourses A, B and C and upgrade Concourse C to current code standards.
The first project includes a new 9-lane passenger screening area between Concourse B and C adjacent to the Thurgood Marshall Exhibit and Observation Gallery. The screening area will feature the latest TSA design standards and equipment to efficiently screen passengers. A 40-foot wide connector with moving walkways provides a secure side connection between Concourses B and C with sweeping views of the airfield.
The second project includes the widening and renovation of Concourse C. The center corridor and holdrooms were enlarged to reduce congestion in the older portion of the Concourse and new finishes were provided throughout to create a fresh unified facility. Significant new concession cores are included in the concourse and at the entrance to the B/C Connector to provide enhanced retail and food and beverage opportunities for the Airport's users.
As part of BWI Marshall Airport's new connector between Concourse B and C and the widening of existing Concourse C, JMT provided significant mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and security system engineering services as well as the design for 100,000 square-feet of the concourse modernization project. Electrical requirements for the project were designed to provide reliability to the power system, assuring that critical operations such as life safety and TSA security remained in service in the event of a power outage. Part of this design included a new 900-kilowatt emergency generator set with a sound-protected outdoor enclosure, integrated fuel storage tank and load bank.
Keeping safety and reliability at the forefront, a new 4,000-amp double-ended medium voltage secondary selective sectionalized power distribution system was designed to provide the required power to the expanded terminal and concourse. The power distribution system - consisting of a switchboard, panel board, dry type transformers, conduit and wiring and other associated electrical items - was also integrated into the overall renovation with an emphasis on maintaining NEC code compliance of the electrical system, as well as coordinating with the mechanical, architectural and structural systems.
Curtis Engine supplied the 900 kW diesel generator with custom enclosure, fuel tank, and load bank to M.C. Dean, who performed the installation and power distribution system integration.