Director's Chair Lester Robinson

Road to Metro Airport's future nearing completion

I'm sure by now, most travelers are aware that Detroit Metropolitan Airport is on the brink of opening a new $1.2 billion midfield terminal. Construction is progressing on schedule, and we're eagerly anticipating the day later this year when we can fulfill our promise of transforming Detroit Metro Airport into the world-class facility this community deserves.

What most people probably haven't thought much about is how they will reach the new terminal once the doors open for business. They've heard the words "midfield terminal," but probably haven't fully comprehended that the new facility sits right in the middle of our airfield - in an area people have previously only seen from their seat on a plane.

In just 10 short months, customers will be driving up to the new 97-gate midfield terminal and adjacent 11,500-space parking garage on the new "South Access Road" - a roadway that's been under construction for more than 10 years, but has been the best kept secret in Metro Airport's $2 billion capital improvement program.

The South Access Road may be the least visible but most vital link to Metro Airport's future. For the past decade, without much fanfare, Wayne County has been building this new major access road through the middle of one of the world's busiest airports - all the time keeping the facility 100% operational.

From a quiet groundbreaking in 1990, the road has steadily progressed northward from I-275 and Eureka Road to a point just past the new midfield terminal. Recently, Wayne County Executive Edward McNamara unveiled the final phase of the South Access Road - the piece that will link the new Midfield Terminal with Metro Airport's existing entry point of Rogell Drive near I-94.

Work is already under way extending the road inside the airport boundary near Concourse A. Over the next several months, a new section of roadway will be constructed adjacent to the airport's East Service Drive, connecting with Rogell Drive near the Berry International Terminal.

While construction of the final phase will be more visible than earlier work, the project should have minimal effect on airport visitors. Much of the construction will take place during evenings and other less-busy hours, and motorists should experience only minor lane shifts. During the peak of construction this summer, the airport will maintain three inbound and three outbound lanes of traffic on Rogell Drive - the same level as today.

When opened to the public later this year, the $144 million, four-mile-long, six-lane-wide South Access Road will give Metro Airport bragging rights as one of the few airports in the country with major entrance points off two primary interstate freeways. While most travelers currently reach Metro Airport from I-94, in the future we expect up to 60% of motorists to access the airport via the Eureka Road exit off of I-275.

The South Access Road will greatly reduce traffic congestion on I-94, significantly improve traffic flow, and offer a whole new way of getting to and from our modernized airport. The new road will also offer unique views of the airfield that people have never seen before - taking motorists through underpasses with jets taxiing above, and on a roadway with planes taking off on each side.

A Detroit newspaper once dubbed the South Access Road as the "Road to Nowhere." Today, we know better. In less than a year, this road will lead millions of visitors annually to a sensational new $1.2 billion, 97-gate terminal with over 80 shops and restaurants - the future of air transportation in Michigan.

Lester Robinson is director of airports for Wayne County. His column appears monthly.

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