Logan Renovations May Cause Delays

Students may have to allow more time to catch a flight home from Logan International Airport when a state plan to renovate the facility begins in early 1995.

Myleen Leary, a spokesperson at the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), said yesterday the $1.2 billion project will last seven years.

"It's going to be tough" for passengers departing and arriving at Logan, Leary said.

The project, which will overhaul two existing terminals and improve transportation facilities, is necessary because of the growing airport industry, Leary said.

Although no specific solutions have been implemented, Massport has started to think about how to "mitigate the impacts" of this massive project on passengers.

"We know it's something we'll have to deal with," Leary said.

The first phase of the project will consolidate the airport's scattered parking lots into one 5,700-space garage.

Construction will reduce by 3,000 the number of available parking spaces at the airport. Only 2,700 spaces will be available from the beginning of construction until 1997; the number will then increase to 3,000. The new garage will not be completed until 1999.

In addition, Terminal A will be gutted and rebuilt, while Terminal E, which houses international gates, will be refitted to handle more passengers and larger planes.

Massport also plans to build a bridge from Terminal E to Terminal D, which will allow passengers to walk through four of Logan's five terminals without having to go outside.

By the year 2000, a people mover system will connect the terminals to the MBTA subway, the parking garage and the new Hyatt Conference Center.

The MBTA has already begun renovating the Blue Line, which connects Logan to downtown Boston, preparing it to connect with the airport's new system.