Airport Plans Fly Smoothly
TIM ROHWER, Staff Writer
06/01/2005
Not only is the expansion work at the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport on schedule, but two major projects in the plans have come in under budget, according to a local official.
The Council Bluffs Airport Authority recently awarded a bid to Cedar Valley Corp. of Waterloo to pave, mark and light the first phase of the new 5,500-foot-long runway. The company's bid of $2,760,613 was the lowest of four submitted, said Bill McGinn, chairman of the Airport Authority. The projected cost was $3.1 million, he said.
Excavation for the new runway will total $2.9 million, significantly below the projected cost of $4 million, McGinn said. The main feature of the airport's expansion plans is the new 5,500-foot runway, which will lie directly north to south. The airport's current runway is 4,000 feet and lies northwest to southeast.
Excavation for the first phase of the new runway is continuing, McGinn said, and paving it should begin later in the summer. "The completion date for paving is Nov. 15," he said.
The Iowa Department of Transportation doesn't want airport paving after that date because of the cold weather, McGinn said. The paving will involve the north side of the runway.
The installation of the runway lights and the runway markings should be done a month later, he said.
Next summer, paving will begin on the final 1,500 feet, located at the south end of the runway, he said. After that, the current runway will be repaved, McGinn said.
Additional hangars to hold more planes are also part of the expansion plans.
That's important, McGinn said, because the airport gets a nickel for every gallon of fuel purchased there. "It's good to have more based aircraft there because that means more fuel purchased," he said.
The total expansion project is about $20 million of which the Federal Aviation Administration is paying 95 percent, with remainder coming locally. So far, approximately $11 million in federal funds has been awarded, with $500,000 coming locally, McGinn said. Though not part of the original expansion plans, officials are considering a new terminal building that would be built closer to Old Highway 6, he said. It would offer easier access for airplane passengers than the current building, McGinn said. "It would be much bigger than the one now," he said.
06/01/2005
Not only is the expansion work at the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport on schedule, but two major projects in the plans have come in under budget, according to a local official.
The Council Bluffs Airport Authority recently awarded a bid to Cedar Valley Corp. of Waterloo to pave, mark and light the first phase of the new 5,500-foot-long runway. The company's bid of $2,760,613 was the lowest of four submitted, said Bill McGinn, chairman of the Airport Authority. The projected cost was $3.1 million, he said.
Excavation for the new runway will total $2.9 million, significantly below the projected cost of $4 million, McGinn said. The main feature of the airport's expansion plans is the new 5,500-foot runway, which will lie directly north to south. The airport's current runway is 4,000 feet and lies northwest to southeast.
Excavation for the first phase of the new runway is continuing, McGinn said, and paving it should begin later in the summer. "The completion date for paving is Nov. 15," he said.
The Iowa Department of Transportation doesn't want airport paving after that date because of the cold weather, McGinn said. The paving will involve the north side of the runway.
The installation of the runway lights and the runway markings should be done a month later, he said.
Next summer, paving will begin on the final 1,500 feet, located at the south end of the runway, he said. After that, the current runway will be repaved, McGinn said.
Additional hangars to hold more planes are also part of the expansion plans.
That's important, McGinn said, because the airport gets a nickel for every gallon of fuel purchased there. "It's good to have more based aircraft there because that means more fuel purchased," he said.
The total expansion project is about $20 million of which the Federal Aviation Administration is paying 95 percent, with remainder coming locally. So far, approximately $11 million in federal funds has been awarded, with $500,000 coming locally, McGinn said. Though not part of the original expansion plans, officials are considering a new terminal building that would be built closer to Old Highway 6, he said. It would offer easier access for airplane passengers than the current building, McGinn said. "It would be much bigger than the one now," he said.
posted by Susan VanSlyke at 12:58 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home