TRANSPORTATION
Mather , which was rebuilt in 1941 , was designed to handle the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress — a long-range , eight-engine bomber that weighs 390,000 pounds and can carry a 70,000-pound payload . Fully loaded , the B-52 needs a long runway for takeoff , and while the big birds are gone , the 11,300-foot concrete runway the behemoths required is still there and is more valuable than ever . In hot summer weather , it takes a heavy cargo plane a long time to get off the ground . To compensate , cargo carriers often need to cut their loads . Mather ’ s runway allows cargo planes to take off fully loaded — a definite money saver .
SCAS ’ biggest advance was launched in 2006 , when planning began for The Big Build — the replacement of Terminal B , the largest capital improvement project in Sacramento County history . The department pushed for a bold plan , and , again , critics were dubious . Some saw the $ 1.03 billion project as a boondoggle :
too big , too expensive and too optimistic in its ridership predictions .
When Terminal B opened five years later , most of the ambitious ideas had been realized , and it included a number of innovations . Three times the size of the old Terminal B , its setup was somewhat unique : The terminal and concourse buildings are connected by an automated people mover .
Designed by Corgan in collaboration with Fentress Architects — the company that revolutionized airport design with Denver International Airport in 1995 — Terminal B ’ s curving roofline , abundant glass and clerestory are meant to evoke the Central Valley ’ s sunshine and Sacramento ’ s tree canopy . With an eye toward sustainability , the high-tech glass keeps the valley heat out , and recycled materials were used throughout the building process , including salvaged wood for the modern cathedral-like ceiling .
Having opened two years after the Great Recession , it took a couple of years for Terminal B to look like a slam dunk . But in 2013 , passenger numbers began an upward climb , which has gotten steeper almost every year since .
Sacramento takes off
While aviation economics can be complex , Nichol says the reason for Sacramento International ’ s recently interrupted string of growth years is simple . Airport passenger numbers generally track with an area ’ s gross domestic product , and the Capital Region ’ s economy was on a steady upswing .
Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna , who lives in and represents the district in which the aiport is located , says the region ’ s economic growth may be reciprocally tied to the airport ’ s success . “ It might be serendipitous ,” Serna says , “ but we had a renaissance underway in downtown Sacramento , the build-out of one of the newest suburban areas , Natomas , and simultaneously the completion of
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58 comstocksmag . com | April 2021