Drive Retrofit Update Enables Smoke-Removal System at Atlanta Airport

When the City of Atlanta finalized plans for the capital-improvement project at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, an integral part of the 10-year, $5.4 billion project included upgrading the ventilation system of the underground Automated People Mover (APM). The APM’s previous ventilation system was adequate when the APM served the A, B, C, and D Concourses. When Concourse E was added and the APM extended — now 3.5 miles long, handling 128,000 passengers an hour — the fans required upgrading to handle additional flow and pressure to meet National Fire Protection Association standards for emergency smoke evacuation. The $3.4-million set up and installation contract for mechanical and electrical equipment was awarded to W.B. Wallis & Co. (Atlanta, GA).