First level one of the project, to be finished in 2013, will create a new Terminal B south concourse dedicated to regional jet operations

Houston Mayor Annise Parker and the Houston Airport System, in partnership with United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: UAL), today broke ground on the first stage of a three-phase redevelopment project at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Stage one of the plans, to be completed in 2013, will create a new Terminal B south concourse dedicated to regional jet operations.

The $160 million south concourse plan will replace the existing south side flight stations with a new 225,000 square-foot facility to accommodate United's regional aircraft. At nearly four times the size of the existing space, the new concourse will provide a better customer experience, as it will feature modern and expanded gate lounge areas, concessions and restroom facilities.

Travelers will way in the new concourse from the terminal via a 95 foot wide bridge with 13,000 square feet of food, beverage and retail concessions a 500 percent increase in concession space over the current facility. The concourse will feature 28 foot high floor to ceiling glass windows, offering expansive tarmac-views from spacious central passenger lounge areas with durable and modern interior finishes.

"As I noted in my inaugural address, producing jobs for Houstonians is my number one job for the next two years," said Mayor Parker. "Stage one of this billion-dollar investment with United is the first delivery on that promise. We celebrate the boost to our local economy that will result from this investment. Houston will thrive as our global gateway expands to include more flights and greater access to business connections all over the world."

"Houston is our largest center and a vital international gateway in United's network," said Pete McDonald, United's executive vice president and chief operations officer. "This investment in the Houston hub will let us to accommodate more customers and more aircraft types, provide new amenities for travelers and improve efficiencies for the new United."

Plans for future phases of the $1 billion redevelopment project include redevelopment of the central Terminal-B lobby and baggage claim areas, a new international-capable north concourse for mainline and regional jets, a new Terminal B Federal Inspections Services (FIS) facility and infrastructure advance.

The total three-phase redevelopment project is intended over the next seven to 10 years, based on demand.

The project's design incorporates energy efficient techniques using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard.

The Houston Airport System is partnering with United on the project and the new construction will be an important investment in the local economy by creating many jobs.

President Barack Obama signed a bill into law yesterday to streamline airport screening procedures for service members and their families traveling on official orders.

The Risk-based Security Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act gives the Transportation Security Administration six months to develop and implement a plan to expedite screening services for service members on orders and in uniform and, “to the extent possible, any accompanying family member.”

The act, in part, calls for the agency to establish standard guidelines for the screening of military uniform items, such as combat boots.

In a statement released today, agency officials said they’re in the process of reviewing options for these new procedures in consultation with the Defense Department.

Even before this law, the agency had several measures in place to aid troops through the screening process. For example, troops in uniform with a military identification card aren’t required to remove their boots or shoes unless they set off an alarm, according to the agency’s website.

The agency also seeks to accommodate family members. Families who would like to accompany a deploying service member to the boarding gate or greet them upon their return may receive passes to enter the secure area of the airport, the site said. Family members, agency officials advise, should contact their air carrier representative at the airport for local procedures.

The agency also expedites the screening process for Honor Flight veterans, and partners with the Defense Department to expedite screening for wounded warriors and their families. The Honor Flight Network organization transports veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit their war memorials.

Also aimed at expediting screening procedures, the agency is testing a new program at the airport in Monterey, Calif. In mid-November, troops traveling out of Monterey Peninsula Airport began presenting their DOD identification to a document checker for card-reader scanning.

The pilot program is designed to test the technology to verify service members’ status. If successful, it could pave the way for service members to be included in the agency’s expedited screening program, agency officials said, enabling them to use special lanes at participating airports to pass more quickly through airport security. These expedited procedures could involve not having to remove their shoes, belt and jackets or their laptops from bags

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is looking for monitor the levels of radiation that its employees are exposed to from X-ray technology, as well as airport body scanners, a document from the agency says.

In the document, the TSA said it plans to begin performing radiation measurements using personal dosimeters, which are devices worn on the body that calculate a person's exposure to radiation, at certain airports. Such devices are used by people who work near sources of radiation such as hospital and nuclear power-plant employees.

"The measurements will assist the TSA in find out if the Transportation Security Officers (TSO) at selected federalized airports are exposed to ionizing radiation above minimum detectable levels, and whether any measured radiation doses approach or exceed the threshold where personnel dosimeter monitoring is necessary by [Department of Homeland Security]/TSA policy," according to the document, which was posted on a government website.

The purpose of the document, called "asking for information," is to discover and collect information on vendors that could supply personal dosimeters to the TSA.
Personal dosimeters measure accurately how much radiation a person receives, so the levels can be compared with the limits set by the government.

Experts today show surprise that such devices, which are needed by law for anyone who works with radiation, were not already used by airport screeners.

"I wouldn’t dream of them not having that already," said Dr. Nagy Elsayyad, a radiation oncologist at the University Of Miami Miller School Of Medicine. "They really should have some form of monitoring tool," Elsayyad said.

"By any possible definition, they are radiation workers," said David Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

Airport screening and radiation

Some of the airport body scanners, recognized as backscatter scanners, emit X-rays which bounce off the body to create an image. There are about 250 such scanners in use in the United States.

Michael McCarthy, a spokesman for TSA, said personal dosimeters are not at present used by TSA employees because the level of radiation they are exposed to "is well below the minimum threshold where personal dosimeters would be needed."
The actual levels of radiation exposure to airport security workers should be look into, he said. Elsayyad said the plan to start using personal dosimeters should be recommended.

Gray area

The body scanners produce about 0.15 microsieverts of radiation per scan. This dose is equivalent to the radiation a human being would be exposed to in two minutes of flying in an airplane, the TSA said.

The health effects of such small radiation doses are still unsure. "We're sort of in this very big gray area," said Dr. Jacqueline Williams, a radiation expert at the University of Rochester in New York. Though Williams said in a previous interview the effects to an individual passenger are probably negligible.

Authorities charged an Army expert for attempting to board a plane with a military-grade explosive at a Texas airport in an incident official downplayed as nothing nefarious.

Trey Scott Atwater, 30, of Hope Mills, North Carolina, was taken into custody.

Transportation Security Administration agents spotty the item in his carry-on through X-ray screening at a security checkpoint at the Midland International Airport, Midland police and city officials said.

The material was recognized as an explosive; though it was determined there was no way to ignite it as there was no detonator or initiator, a law enforcement official told CNN on condition of anonymity. The official was not authorized to release the info to the media.

Atwater was an active-duty army soldier, the official said.

The incident push the evacuation and temporary-closure of a part of an airport terminal, authorities said.

"At no-time was there any risk to the people at Midland International Airport or the community of Midland, Texas," Mark Morgan, an FBI spokesman, said in a report.

Atwater has been arrested on a federal count of trying to board an aircraft with an explosive, Morgan said.