Nashville airport to get explosive detection system

03/04/2009

By Candy McCampbell

A construction company, an architecture/engineering firm and a baggage and cargo handling business are working on design and preparing to start construction in June on new in-line explosive detection screening and baggage handling systems at Nashville International Airport.

Messer Construction Co. of Knoxville, Gresham, Smith and Partners of Nashville and Glidepath LLC of Dallas have the $34.5 million job that is generally out of sight of airport travelers.

The new sort-controlled baggage handling system will have two separate in-line screening matrices that will run simultaneously. There is little structural construction involved, says Doug Downey, project manager for Messer. However, some additional walls might have to be built.

The new explosive detection screening (EDS) machines are larger and heavier than the existing ones, but they will not require additional structural support, he says.

One GE screening model, for example, weighs more than 17,000 lbs, stands 95 in high, is 87.5 in wide and is almost 187.4 in long.

The new EDS system will replace the current one, which is located behind the ticket counters in the airport’s passenger lobby.

The ticket counters were moved out into the passenger area after the U.S. Transportation Security Administration installed the existing EDS and explosive trace detection machines in December 2002.

The ticket counters will be moved back in a separate contract after the new system is installed, Downey says. Completion is scheduled for November 2010.

The TSA will remove the existing machines for use at another airport.

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