Contractor to develop automated transit systems for two international airports

ORLANDO, Fla. (NOVEMBER 3, 2023) — Superior Construction will add to its portfolio of aviation work with two new projects in the Southeast. The contractor was recently awarded the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) Automated Shuttle contract and the Orlando International Airport (MCO) Automated People Mover (APM) Replacement Project.

“Emerging technology has spurred significant growth in the aviation industry. While many know Superior for our work building complex transportation systems, we’re eager to embrace change, adapt new technologies, and prove that our expertise in transportation directly translates to this rapidly evolving market,” said James Lapp, Division Manager at Superior Construction.

To complete the Greenville-Spartanburg Automated Shuttle project, Superior (the lead design-build contractor) and its partners, BCC Engineering and Balfour Beatty, will develop a program of automated shuttles that will transport airport employees and travelers between parking lots and terminals at GSP Airport in South Carolina.

GSP’s investigation of all-electric automated vehicle technology began in 2015 with a study to determine alternatives to gasoline-powered shuttle buses in the airport’s parking lots. In 2016, the airport expanded its research to include the feasibility of offering automated vehicles on an on-demand basis. These automated vehicles will run on a track separate from the airport’s roads and car traffic. Once the progressive design-build project is complete, GSP will become the first airport in North America with a fully automated transit system of all-electric podcars. The project team is anticipating a notice to proceed by April 1, 2024, and estimates the project will be completed in the First Quarter of 2026. 

The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) also selected the MHIA (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America Inc. – Prime Contractor with Superior as the Civil Contractor) to complete its APM Replacement Project at MCO. The project team will remove the current APM system, which moves travelers from the main terminal to airport Gates A2 and B4. They’ll also remove and replace the existing concrete running surface, providing a new running surface that will last for decades. 

The project is Superior’s first design-build-operate-maintain (DBOM) contract. Superior will build the system, which Crystal Mover Services, Inc. will operate and maintain. Construction is expected to be completed in 2027.