It seems everyone has a story, largely unflattering, about the Ottawa International Airport.

Usually, the stories involve a blizzard, a long trek across the tarmac, heavy luggage and a disbelief Canada's capital could have such an antiquated facility.

A couple of years ago, it was just this scenario that played out when a Silicon Valley venture capitalist landed in Ottawa deep into a frigid February night. The potential investor's flight from Detroit had been delayed and if that wasn't enough, the exhausted executive was forced to brave a blizzard while lugging his bag across the tarmac.

Not surprisingly, he wondered whether he had mistakenly landed in some backwater town, rather than Silicon Valley North.

But after Oct. 12, that story and others like it will become nostalgic anecdotes to illustrate Ottawa's evolution to a big city with an appropriate airport. On that date, the first flight will take off, marking a jumpoff point for Ottawa travellers and a new image to the rest of the world.

Ottawa International Airport Authority president and CEO Paul Benoit was plucked from the Montreal Airport Authority in 1996 to steer the expansion. Seven years later, the man who admits he can't even assemble an Ikea chair says the new terminal represents a maturation of the nation's capital.

"When I came back to Ottawa from Montreal in 1996, it was almost like the city was afraid to say how good it was," he says. The new terminal will quell that timidity once and for all, he says. "Ottawa is a world-class city and this is a world-class airport."

The $310-million project is the largest private sector endeavour in the city's history since the Rideau Centre was built more than two decades ago.

But perhaps more remarkable than the hefty price tag is the fact the project was completed within budget and six months ahead of schedule. Industry observers say this a rare accomplishment when contrasted with a spate of troubled expansions in North America in the past few years.

"It is very rare to be ahead of schedule and to be on the budget that was established four years ago," says Dale Craig, president of J.L. Richards & Associates Ltd., the Ottawa company selected as program manager in a joint venture called MRM Project Managers, together with Toronto's Marshall Macklin Monaghan.

Craig, who was also involved in building the Corel Centre and two Nortel manufacturing facilities, says he often hears horror stories about airport expansions running way over budget and schedule.

"It's very, very common for projects to be late. The fiscal control here was excellent, even though there were continuing budget pressures. There was no question, this was not a lavish budget."

Over the course of the project, for which ground was broken on May 18, 2001, approximately 5,000 people have been employed, including 500 subcontracted firms. All contracts of more than $86,000 were tendered, as mandated by the airport authority.

The massive operation has another impressive record: there were no "lost-time injuries" on site and officials claim there was very little disruption to the existing airport and flight schedule.

"This was an extremely complex undertaking, especially because we were working around an operational airport," Craig adds. In addition, the interests of many stakeholders, including the passengers, airlines and government, had to be taken into account. Then, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks suffocated air travel and threw a wrench into the airport's budget.

The new terminal, which will adjoin the old facility for several years, is 656,000 square feet. It has 15 new gates, three separate, spacious areas for departures, arrivals and baggage claim, new retail establishments and a covered parking structure.

The airport authority will add flights as demand increases, says airport spokesperson Krista Kealey.

In addition to the terminal, the project includes a de-icing facility and a new building to house the airport's fire department.

Everyone, from economic development groups to government officials at all levels, agree a new facility was desperately needed to accommodate the growing city.

"This is way beyond my fondest dreams," says Len Potechin, chairman and founder of the Regional Group. Potechin was instrumental in brokering the "Open Skies" agreement, which allowed non-stop, pre-cleared flights out of Ottawa to the United States in the late 1980s. Potechin, who was on the airport authority's board of directors for several years, says this landmark agreement created the momentum for the expansion.

Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli, who made an expanded airport a priority in the city's economic development strategy, says the new facility lets the city climb onto the international stage.

"It is a tremendous asset," he says. "It helps to define us as an international destination and it is laying the groundwork for the next 20 years of the city's growth. A lot of people think of an airport as being used by outsiders but, the reality is, there is an economic cache here of 1.5 million people and we're going to be able to increase the efficiency of the community."

Chiarelli says he expects to use the new facility next month for a trip to Toronto and perhaps a five-day getaway after the municipal election Nov. 10.

Another politician planning to test the new facility Oct. 13 for a trip west is Ottawa South MP and Deputy Prime Minister John Manley, in whose ward the airport resides.

"An airport is part of the definition of a city and one of the first impressions people get of the city. It's vital to the city's economic development," Manley says.

The airport authority's aggressive schedule is also remarkable, he adds.

"It's tremendous. The truth is, there aren't many government projects that come in under budget and on time."

David Glastonbury, current chairman of the Greater Ottawa Chamber of Commerce and past president of transportation lobby group Transport 2000, says the expansion is long overdue.

"The airport is our gateway to the world and the impression that visitors get is the terminal that they arrive in," he says. Prior to the expansion, visitors often had to walk outside, then up and down flights of stairs in a maze leading to customs or the baggage claim. Both were small, dingy, uninviting rooms.

"Now what they'll see is modern and it creates a very good picture," he says.

There is perhaps no group more familiar with the embarrassment felt when visitors were welcomed by the old facility than the business community. Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation president and airport authority board member Jeffrey Dale says the new facility will boost the business community's image to potential investors.

"It's very important that we have a professional image of a big city. I've had investors come to town to see startup companies and they kept on saying, 'When is the new airport going to be ready?'", Dale says.

Prior to his role at OCRI, Dale racked up more than 250,000 miles a year in air travel in major centres all over the world. These travels cemented his belief that an airport is paramount in attracting investment dollars.

"We've been using the new airport as a selling point because it says that the city is continuing to invest in the future."

The expansion was financed by a $270-million bond offering and a $15 "airport improvement fee". The three-storey structure includes 15 new gates, 27,000 square feet of retail space, a parking structure with 1,700 spaces and sheltered access and areas for departures and arrivals.

Designers kept several things in mind when drawing up plans: the tight budget and the need for efficiency. As a result, the facility features several innovations, such as one information technology system, which is usually broken up into several components. The airport authority also directed the project managers to begin design construction before all the plans were drawn up. This is a risky move because if amendments to the design are needed, construction has already started, making it difficult to change anything.

Most passengers will enter from the parking lot, which feeds into the top level through a skyway. Upon entry, they will face a "decision point" on where to go (arrival, departures or baggage claim), clearly marked by signage.

Passenger check-in is on the third level, departures are on the second and arrivals and baggage claim on the first level.

There are several highlights in the massive structure, including a three-storey waterfall, a canoe originally commissioned for former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and the "Panasonic wall", which holds two large TV screens that will feature the inaugural edition of CBC Newsworld's airport news channel. Out front is 20-foot concrete rock "inukshuk", which is a replica of the original two-foot "inukshuk" that sits in the waterfall inside. The small statue was built by a 70-year-old Inuit elder who was flown to Ottawa specifically for this purpose.

Ritchard Brisbin, a partner with lead architect Brisbin Brook and Beynon Architects, says the team tried to achieve several things with the design. The priority was to soothe aggravated travellers.

"Travelling is a stressful activity, so we were trying to come up with a design that allowed you to navigate your way through the terminal as easily as possible," Brisbin says.

Aesthetically, the terminal was designed as a tribute to the many components of the city's personality, which include the four seasons, the three rivers the city was founded on and the influence of upper levels of government.

"The airport has a difficult role, as it has to be an ambassador. There is a bit of a balancing act there, but there is a growing pride in Ottawa in terms of it being an entity greater than its federal presence."

The architects incorporated details such as the use of copper, granite and limestone to evoke the Parliament Buildings, chartreuse green carpeting to reflect the influence of the natural environment, the three-storey waterfall, which is based on the city's waterways, and even the $1.5-million jumbotron to represent the city's tech community. All these details illustrate the city's multifaceted personality, Brisbin says.

There is also a quote from Trudeau, with more quotes from other Canadian dignitaries to follow.

The nod to Trudeau and his love of the country's waterways is one of the airport's CEO's favourite things. But Benoit gives a more abstract answer when asked what his favourite thing about the new terminal is.

"It was a phenomenal activity with a great, great bunch of people. It has been a phenomenal learning experience," he says. Perhaps the thing he is most proud of is the fact the project met its deadlines, both financially and time-wise.

"Here's a success story and it was not funded by government."

- by Kate Chappell