ROMULUS - The North Terminal has flung open its gates - all 27 of them - completing a three-year-long construction project that will burnish the reputation of Metro Airport as one of the finest in the country.

The grand opening of the $431 million terminal took place Sept. 17 after a three-year construction timeline. The North Terminal replaces the outmoded Smith and Berry terminals, which detractors said had all the charm of a concrete bunker. The new terminal follows the wildly successful midfield McNamara Terminal, which was completed by the trades in 2002.

The half-mile long, 826,000 square-foot North terminal is about half the size of the McNamara Terminal, and architecturally, it's a lot more plain, but no less functional, and it opened to very good reviews. Construction of the North Terminal was managed by the joint venture of Walbridge/Barton Malow.

"It was a great experience, a wonderful project," said Barton Malow Project Manager Paul Tantalo. "The subs, the staff, the trades worked seamlessly." Added Walbridge Project Manger Al Stevens: "It was really a straightforward project. About the biggest challenge we had were the change orders, but we took them in stride, and got it finished."

At peak employment - and the peak lasted about six months - about 625 Hardhats worked on the North Terminal project, and they worked very safely. Out of 1.6 million man-hours worked, there was only one lost-time incident, a slip-and-fall on ice. The North Terminal project represents the second and largest collaborative safety effort to date (there are now six) bringing together the owner, contractors, the building trades and MIOSHA to create a safe atmosphere.

The "Partners in Safety" concept sought to ingrain safety into the fabric of the job, utilizing MUST (Management and Unions Serving Together) safety module and drug testing requirements; regular safety meetings; adherence to all safety policies, procedures, and MIOSHA standards; 100 percent fall protection over 6 feet, including steel erection and roof work; 100 percent eye protection; pre-task analyses before the start of critical work; the use of competent/qualified persons where necessary, and uniform enforcement of disciplinary action for employees who work in an unsafe mannger.

"MIOSHA trusted Barton Malow and Walbridge to look out for the safety of workers, but it was a collaborative effort with the building trades that allowed us to achieve our goal of sending everyone home at the end of the work day," said Walbridge Corporate Safety Manager Dennis Jones. He spoke to representatives of the contractors, MIOSHA and the building trades at a luncheon meeting that took place a week before the opening of the terminal.

According to Jones, safety orientations were given to 4,547 tradespeople on the job, who completed 81,828 MUST safety modules, spanning 60,000 hours.

"This job wasn't all about productivity, it was also all about safety," said Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council Representative Ed Coffey during the meeting. "Everyone deserves kudos for how this turned out."

MIOSHA Safety Manager Patty Meyer said the intensive safety focus "was a new concept a few years ago, but it has really accelerated. There have been very few injuries in these jobs, and if I can leave you with anything - I know the trades move around a lot - please, take this (training) with you."

The McNamara Terminal serves Northwest Airlines. The new North Terminal will handle all the other airlines that do business at Metro, including Air Canada, American Airlines, AirTran, Frontier, Lufthansa, Royal Jordanian, Southwest, Spirit, United, US Airways, USA 3000 and all charter airlines. Metro Airport now features two new terminals, nearly 150 gates, six jet runways, and two modern federal inspection services facilities for international arrivals.

The airport offers 1,200 non-stop flights per day to more than 160 destinations worldwide. Metro ranks 12th in the nation and 22nd in the world for the number of passengers going though its gates.

"The Airport Authority is excited to open this latest addition to Metro Detroit's premier global gateway on time and on budget," said Wayne County Airport Authority CEO Lester Robinson.

Installing a moving walkway at the now-open Metro Airport North Terminal are Robert Susko and Jesse Copeland of Elevator Constructors Local 36 and Schlinder Elevator.

ADDING ON TO a parking deck adjacent to the North Terminal at Metro Airport are Pat O'Rourke, Rick Venable and Gary Randle of Iron Workers Local 25 and Sova Steel.