PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 
COMMISSION AGENDA                      Item No.         5c 
ACTION ITEM 
Date of Meeting     September 10, 2013 
DATE:     August 29, 2013 
TO:        Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:    Mike Ehl, Director, Airport Operations 
George England, Program Leader, Aviation Project Management 
SUBJECT:  Long-Term Cell Phone Lot Construction; (CIP #C800324) 
Amount of This Request: $1,420,000             Source of Funds: Airport
Development Fund 
Est. Total Project Cost: $2,521,000 
Est. State and Local Taxes: $99,000               Est. Jobs Created: 15 
ACTION REQUESTED 
Request Commission authorization for  the Chief Executive Officer to (1) proceed with
construction of the Long-Term Cell Phone Lot at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport; (2)
use Port Construction Services crews to self-perform the construction; (3) advertise for bids and
award a major public works project-specific unit price contract for asphalt and striping; and (4)
execute interlocal agreements with the City of SeaTac for the design, installation, and operation
of a temporary traffic control signal on South 170th Street for an authorization of $1,420,000. 
The total estimated project cost is $2,521,000. 
SYNOPSIS 
The Airport's existing cell phone waiting lot will be displaced by construction of new hardstand
facilities.  Therefore, a new cell phone lot is proposed at a location on the south side of S. 170th 
St. and east of the North Airport Expressway (NAE) (Attachment A). A cell phone lot provides 
travelers a safe and convenient parking area while waiting to pick up passengers. It supplements 
terminal curbside capacity, minimizes parking on the shoulders of the NAE, and reduces
congestion on our Airport drives. The project also provides for an amenity that travelers expect,
and provides better customer service.  The location of the new cell phone lot requires traffic 
control using a roundabout to be constructed to facilitate ingress and egress from the lot and to
mitigate traffic impacts along S. 170th St., the majority of which is City of SeaTac right-of-way. 
Design of the cell phone lot and roundabout was authorized by the Commission in December
2012 and is currently in progress. At the time of authorization, construction of both the lot and
the roundabout was to be one major works project and the size of the lot was for 150 parking
stalls.   Construction was  expected to  be completed in  March 2014, shortly after the  thenexpected
closure of the existing cell phone lot in January.  It was subsequently determined that

Template revised May 30, 2013.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
August 29, 2013 
Page 2 of 7 
additional time would be required to design and permit the roundabout and this would delay the
awarding of a construction contract and delay completion of the cell phone lot and roundabout to
the fall of 2014. This would have resulted in no cell lot service for approximately eight months
based on the then-expected closure of the existing cell phone lot in January 2014. Due to safety
concerns with not having a cell lot, the planned approach and schedule is now being revised
where design and construction of the cell phone lot will proceed separately from the roundabout.
Construction is expected to begin this fall and be completed by April 2014. This is about the time
the existing cell phone lot is now expected to be displaced and out of service. In addition to the
schedule change, based on recent use of the cell lot exceeding capacity, staff determined the
number of stalls be increased to 200. 
The objective of revising the original plan and schedule was to minimize the time, if any,
between the existing lot being displaced and completion of the new lot.  Design and permit
acquisition for the S. 170th St. roundabout is currently in progress with construction expected
during the summer of 2014.  Constructing and opening the new lot prior to completing the
roundabout requires that a temporary signal be installed within City of SeaTac right-of-way on S.
170th St. for traffic control. This temporary signal is required during the period when the new cell
lot becomes operational and the roundabout is completed. To economically expedite the design
and installation of a temporary signal, the Port will need to execute an interlocal agreement with
the City of SeaTac to design, install, and operate the signal. 
The original total project budget was estimated to be $1,768,000, which included an estimated
construction cost of $1,148,000. The increased capacity of the lot, increased excavation, asphalt,
lighting and striping, the need for a temporary signal on S. 170th St., and increased soft costs has
increased the estimated budget by $753,000 bringing the total project cost to $2,521,000. 
This request is for $1,420,000 for construction and associated construction management and
other soft costs for the cell phone lot and temporary signal.  Port Construction Services will
construct the project using Port crews, a major public works project-specific unit price contract
for asphalt and striping, and a small works project-specific unit price contract for electrical. 
Staff will return to Commission in the future for authorization to construct the roundabout. 
BACKGROUND 
There is a shortage of hardstand space for parking passenger and cargo aircraft that remain
overnight at the Airport.  To increase remain-overnight (RON) space, the vacant United States
Postal Service Air Mail Center (AMC) and associated parking lot is being demolished and
reconstructed for hardstands. Currently the Airport's cell phone waiting lot uses a portion of the
parking lot in front of and adjacent to the AMC and must be replaced.
Aviation Operations recommends that a new replacement cell phone waiting lot be created at the
site of the former Radisson Hotel, located immediately south of S. 170th St. (see Attachment A
for the locations of the existing and proposed cell phone lots). The proposed project will

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
August 29, 2013 
Page 3 of 7 
demolish the existing asphalt pavement; re-grade, re-pave, and stripe the lot; install new lighting; 
and revise the stormwater system.
Access revisions to S. 170th St. will also be required to support the new cell phone waiting lot.
Four traffic control alternatives were analyzed: 1) no-action, 2) two-way stop control, 3)
signalized intersection, and 4) two-lane roundabout.   Staff utilized the industry  standard
microsimulation tool VISSIM to understand intersection and roadway performance under each
alternative.  In both the no-action and two-way stop control alternatives, the intersection did not
meet basic opertational standards to support the new cell lot location. Although the signal and
roundabout were more viable than the no-action and two-way stop alternatives, the roundabout
out-performed the signal in key performance measures such as delay, queuing, and travel time.
Roundabouts are traditionally thought to be less costly to maintain and comparable in cost due to
expensive signalization contollers and required roadway rechannelization.  Consequently, staff
recommend a roundabout at the terminus of the ramp from the southbound NAE to S. 170th St. be
constructed to manage traffic along S. 170th St.
Over the past decade, two significant developments led airports to develop cell phone waiting
lots:  the September 11th events and the ubiquity of cellular phones.  Following 9/11, a shift in
air traveler behavior occurred throughout the United States.  Primarily due to new checkpoint
restrictions, passengers and their parties were no longer inclined to meet in the terminal and
utilize short-term parking. With the aid of cellular phones, friends and families can contact their
arriving parties as they debark the aircraft and time their trip accordingly.  The result is an
increased demand for curbside parking and curbside congestion, or at the very least, a location to
wait for their arriving party and a decrease in meeting passengers in the terminal. Without a cell
phone lot, meeters and greeters either utilize curbside parking spaces or innovate on the fly, often
parking on local streets or the shoulders of the NAE creating an unsafe condition.
As described in the memorandum requesting project design authorization, staff performed a
demand analyis and proposed a new cell phone lot with a 150-stall capacity. With recent demand
exceeding capacity more frequently, a larger lot is now proposed at 200 parking stalls to provide
better customer service into the future. 
The project will be funded via the Airport Development Fund. However, staff held discussions
with the City of SeaTac regarding the potential use of parking tax funds for the proposed
roundabout in the S. 170th Street right-of-way.  Per an interlocal agreement (ILA) between the
Port and the City signed in February 2006, 36.9% of parking tax funds collected by the City over
the  10-year  term  of  the  agreement  are  committed  to  a  negotiated  list  of  Port  priority
transportation improvement projects.  The City has committed up to $1,000,000 of parking tax
funds for the roundabout project.  However, the proposed roundabout to provide safe and
efficient access to the cell phone lot and to mitigate impacts to traffic on S. 170th Street are
currently not included in the ILA.  The ILA provides a mechanism for amending the list of
projects eligable for parking tax funds.  Therefore, a request for Commission authorization to
amend the ILA is forthcoming.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
August 29, 2013 
Page 4 of 7 
The project manager will work with the Office of Social Responsibility (OSR) to determine
small business participation opportunities, in accordance with the Small Business Resolution No. 
3618. 
PROJECT JUSTIFICATION AND DETAILS 
The total proposed project, including the cell phone lot and traffic roundabout, is justified based
on the following reasons: 
A cell phone waiting lot is an expected Airport-provided service to travelers. 
Without a cell phone waiting lot, some pick-up vehicles will wait for extended periods at
the terminal curbside or along roadway shoulders resulting in congestion and safety
problems. 
The existing cell phone waiting lot will be eliminated by construction of new facilities. 
A cost effective site is available on the south side of S. 170th St. for a new cell phone lot. 
The traffic control roundabout will mitigate increased traffic along S. 170th St. caused by
the new cell phone lot. 
Project Objectives 
The cell phone lot and traffic roundabout will contribute to achievement of the Airport's business
plan strategy to become one of the top ten customer service airports by 2015. 
Scope of Work 
The new lot will be located at the site of the former Radisson Hotel parking lot. T he entrance for
the new lot will be located on the south side of S. 170th St. and vehicle ingress/egress will be
facilitated by a roundabout. T he lot will have the capacity of up to 200 vehicles.
Project work will include: 
Demolition of existing asphalt pavement. 
Site grading, paving, and striping. 
Installation of lot lighting. 
Installation of a stormwater system for the lot. 
Landscaping. 
Wireless antennas to support access to Port of Seattle wi-fi services. 
Schedule 
Cell phone lot design completion:           September 2013 
Cell phone lot construction completion:     April 2014 
Roundabout design completion:            March 2014 
Roundabout construction completion:      October 2014 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 
Budget/Authorization Summary                    Capital        Expense    Total Project 
Original Budget                                 $1,768,000              $0      $1,768,000

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
August 29, 2013 
Page 5 of 7 
Budge Increase                                    753,000              $0         753,000 
Budget re-categorization                         -$1,086,000      $1,086,000 
Revised Budget                                 1,435,000      $1,086,000       2,521,000 
Previous Authorizations                           $215,000        $193,000        $408,000 
Current request for authorization                  $1,170,000        $250,000      $1,420,000 
Total Authorizations, including this request       $1,385,000        $443,000      $1,828,000 
Remaining budget to be authorized                 $50,000       $643,000       $693,000 
Total Estimated Project Cost                     $1,435,000      $1,086,000      $2,521,000 
The expense costs include a temporary signal and the construction of a roundabout. These assets
will be owned by the City of SeaTac, and will thus be accounted for as public expense.
Project Cost Breakdown                               This Request           Total Project 
Construction                                              $1,284,000             $1,783,000 
Construction Management                                $80,000              $135,000 
Design                                                           $0              $217,000 
Project Management                                           $0             $126,000 
Other Soft Costs                                                   $0               $161,000 
State & Local Taxes (estimated)                              $56,000                $99,000 
Total                                                        $1,420,000              $2,521,000 
Budget Status and Source of Funds 
This project, CIP #C800324, was included in the 2013-2017 capital budget and plan of finance
as a business plan prospective project with a budget of $1,452,000.  Upon completion of the
notebook, the budget was increased to $1,768,000. The revised budget, with the cost increases
described above, totals $2,521,000, of which $1,435,000 will be capital.  The funding sources
will include up to $1,000,000 from the City of SeaTac from parking tax funds.  The remaining
costs will be funded with the Airport Development Fund.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
August 29, 2013 
Page 6 of 7 
Financial Analysis and Summary 
CIP Category                   Renewal / Enhancement 
Project Type                     Infrastructure Upgrades 
Risk adjusted discount rate       N/A 
Key risk factors                   Delays during the design, permitting, or construction
phase could cause the project completion date to extend
beyond the closing date of the existing cell phone lot, thus
there could be a period when no cell phone lot facility is
available to customers. 
Project cost for analysis           $1,521,000 (excludes $1 million from City of SeaTac) 
Business Unit (BU)               Roadway (cost split between aeronautical and nonaeronautical
business units) 
Effect on business performance   No revenue is generated by the existing cell phone lot and
no revenue will be generated directly by the proposed lot.
Approximately half of the costs of roadway projects are
charged to the airline rate base. 
IRR/NPV                   N/A 
CPE Impact                   Less than $.01 increase. 
Lifecycle Cost and Savings 
The project's lifecycle cost includes the initial capital cost plus future on-going operation and
maintenance costs estimated to be $24,000 per year (in year 2012 dollars). 
STRATEGIES AND OBJECTIVES 
This project aligns with the Port's Century Agenda objective of meeting the region's air
transportation needs at Sea-Tac Airport for the next 25 years.
This project also supports the Airport's strategy of becoming one of the top customer service
airports in the world. 
TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE 
The project supports economic development by investing in a new long-term cell phone parking
lot to serve the public's transportation needs at the Airport. Environmental sustainability
principles will be employed where practicable and consistent with Port policy. Also, procedures
set forth in the Port's Small Contractors and Suppliers Program will be used when applicable in
the project contracting process in coordination with the Office of Social Responsibility. 
Environmental Responsibility 
This project will decrease emissions from vehicles accessing the Airport by providing a place for
vehicles to park and wait rather than circulating on the Airport drives.  It will also provide the
opportunity to apply sustainability principles, including:

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
August 29, 2013 
Page 7 of 7 
Low impact development stormwater management. 
Present an opportunity to provide a sign that educates cell lot users on the infiltration
bioswales and rain gardens being used. 
Posting of "No Idling" signs for air quality. 
Asphalt recycling. 
Energy efficient site lighting. 
Community Benefits 
The cell phone lot along with the traffic roundabout will provide an overall improvement to the
S. 170th St. corridor for airline passenger vehicles and other vehicles moving through the area. 
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED 
Alternative 1)  Do not authorize construction of the cell phone lot. The existing cell phone lot
is expected to be out of service in approximately April 2014.  Therefore, after that date there
would be no cell phone lot available. As a result, it is anticipated that vehicles waiting to pick up
passengers would use the Airport expressway or other areas for temporary parking. This would
cause congestion, create unsafe conditions, and be illegal in some cases.  This is not the
recommended alternative. 
Alternative 2)  Construct the cell phone lot and roundabout together under single major public
works contract. This would likely result in there being a period of uncertain duration when there
is no cell phone lot available to customers after the existing cell phone lot is out of service in
approximately April 2014. Similar to Alternative 1, it is anticipated that vehicles waiting to pick
up passengers would use the Airport expressway or other areas for temporary parking. This is
not the recommended alternative. 
Alternative 3)  Authorize construction of the cell phone lot, construction of the temporary
traffic signal, and authorize the Chief Executive Officer to execute an interlocal agreement with
the City of SeaTac for construction and operation of the temporary signal.  This will result in a
new cell phone lot becoming available at approximately the time the existing lot goes out of
service, thus increasing the probability that continuous service will be maintained.  This is the
recommended alternative. 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST 
Attachment A  Existing and Proposed Cell Phone Waiting Lot Locations 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
December 11, 2012  Authorization for design of the  cell phone lot and traffic
roundabout in the amount of $408,000.