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Airport asks committee to reallocate capital funds for runway safety, power and access projects
Summary
The Airport requested reallocation and contingency funding for FAA‑required runway safety area work, a 12 kV substation to avert power overloads, telecom upgrades to reduce outage risk, and a Terminal 1 pedestrian air‑bridge; the committee treated the ordinance as a policy matter and advanced it with recommendation.
San Francisco International Airport Finance Director Ben Kotick presented an ordinance to reallocate current project funds and use contingency balances to reflect updated priorities in the airport five‑year capital plan. Projects described included:
- Runway safety area improvements to meet FAA 1,000‑foot safety standards (project previously funded; $2M additional requested and largely FAA grant‑funded). - A Northfield 12 kV substation to improve distribution and avoid overloads that could disrupt airline operations ($3.5M additional; 75% FAA funded). - A telecommunications network upgrade to address last summer’s switch/router failures that affected reservation systems (total ~$1.2M; a supplemental of ~$525K proposed for this fiscal year). - A Terminal 1 pedestrian airbridge (improved pedestrian access to the AirTrain and elevators) with additional appropriation requests to complete the work.
Kotick explained the airport has not issued new revenue bonds in many years and is reprioritizing projects, defunding some lower‑priority items and leveraging FAA grant funding where available. The Budget Analyst flagged this ordinance as a policy matter amending the long‑term capital plan. The committee approved the item for referral without objection.
Ending
The committee advanced the ordinance to the Board as a policy item and asked the Airport to continue coordination with the Budget Analyst and controller on funding balances and project schedules.
