News & Insights

Meeting E-commerce Demand Through Airport Cargo Facility Expansion

Airport Improvement Interviews Kimley-Horn's Pearse Melvin About FedEx Expansion at ONT International Airport

FedEx cargo facility site at the Ontario International Airport
Pearse Melvin, P.E.

Pearse Melvin, P.E.

Project Manager

Throughout the course of 2020, amid the disruption and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers came to rely on online shopping for a range of goods. The nation’s leader in cargo shipping, FedEx Express, responded to the e-commerce upsurge by expanding its facility at Ontario (CA) International Airport. Kimley-Horn’s Pearse Melvin discussed this multi-layered project in a recent interview with Airport Improvement Magazine.

Under the guidance of Kimley-Horn as civil engineer and The Walsh Group as construction contractor, the upgrade of the FedEx Express cargo shipping project featured improvements in:

  • Main truck and feeder ramps
  • Truck and trailer parking stalls
  • Expanded employee parking
  • Remote and static rack ground support equipment
  • Multiple offsite improvements

One of the main challenges during this extensive build-out was completing the project while maintaining the daily operations of an already-busy shipping giant.

"Preventing disruption to other tenants while readying the 50-acre site for FedEx Express required great care and diplomacy."

Read the article to learn about the challenges and opportunities presented by this landmark cargo shipping project.

About the Expert

Pearse Melvin, P.E.

Pearse Melvin, P.E.

Pearse has more than 30 years of experience in civil engineering, construction management, and design. His background includes full-phase civil engineering consulting for airport projects with experience in airside pavements, site and utility plan preparation, conceptual design and due diligence phases, civil design, cost and quantity estimating, and construction management.

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