STV’s aviation team, in partnership with Freese and Nichols Inc., recently supported a critical construction milestone that advances schedule certainty, enables long-span architectural flexibility and helps set the stage for the future passenger experience as part of the Elevate/SAT program at San Antonio International Airport (SAT).
STV’s program management and construction management (PM/CM) professionals supported the placement of a 90-foot, 12,000-pound fishbelly glulam beam, an engineered timber component that is notable for its structural strength and, for this project, its ability to create large, open spaces at a new terminal under construction at SAT, one of the fastest-growing medium-sized airports in the United States.
“Executing complex lifts inside an active airport requires precise logistics, trust across teams and disciplined sequencing,” said Jim Tiefenthaler, senior project manager for STV’s PM/CM team. “Successfully setting a major structural element like this reflects the coordination and field‑level partnership that keep large aviation programs moving forward.”
STV is serving on an embedded integrated program management office team, led by Freese and Nichols to deliver the $1.6-billion Terminal C, a key component of the larger $2.5 billion Elevate/SAT program – the largest capital improvement plan the City of San Antonio has ever undertaken.
At this scale, integrated PM/CM and project controls are essential to maintaining alignment across design, construction and operational interfaces. The team is providing a suite of project delivery services, including schedule and cost tracking, reporting and coordination across multiple projects and interfaces.
The new Terminal C project encompasses 18 domestic gates, six of which can accommodate international flights, with an anticipated opening in the second quarter of 2028. Additionally, the terminal will provide a modern federal inspection station (FIS) to support expanded international service, roadway improvements to enhance traffic flow and reduce congestion, new parking and logistics facilities and airfield upgrades, including apron expansion and taxiway realignment.
The modernization is being driven by the airport’s Terminal Development Program (TDP), which will guide future development of terminal facilities, the airfield, ground access and supporting infrastructure over the next 20 years.
With additional structural work and interior buildout continuing in the months ahead, STV will focus on supporting upcoming construction phases by tracking schedule milestones, helping manage key interfaces and promoting safe, efficient execution as the project advances.
