(Phoenix, AZ) -- Four escalators which were once the largest in the State of Arizona are now in the process of being replaced at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The 90-foot-long escalators were installed in Sky Harbor's Terminal 3 in October of 1979. "This is probably the first time that escalators of this size and magnitude have been replaced in an open, operating airport" says Jim Schroeder, Aviation Superintendent for Facilities and Services at Sky Harbor. Removing them is a delicate, carefully-planned process. Before the removal process could begin, workers had to design and build a steel structure over the escalator bank in Terminal 3. They suspended chains from that structure, for the purpose of hoisting out large portions of the old escalators.

Thyssen Krupp Elevator Company is working with the City of Phoenix Aviation Department to remove and replace the Terminal 3 escalators. Ironically, the man overseeing the project for Thyssen Krupp, Ron Wood, is the son of Vic Wood, the man who oversaw the installation of the escalators in 1979 for Montgomery Elevator.

To minimize the impact on travelers, the four escalators are being removed and replaced in phases. Terminal 3 visitors will continue to have access to escalators during the course of the project. To further reduce inconvenience to travelers, the escalator work is being done late at night, in off-peak hours. The project will be completed by November of this year.