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THE SITUATIONQuakertown Airport is a general aviation airport owned and operated by the Bucks County (Pennsylvania) Airport Authority. By 2004, after more than 40 years without significant upgrades, the airport was in serious need of repair. In addition, its 1963 design failed to meet current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) minimum standards for runway and taxiway width, runway safety areas and runway/taxiway separation. Backed by decades of aviation planning and project management experience, L.R. Kimball developed a comprehensive Airport Master Plan that objectively outlined the need for a reconstructed runway and taxiway.
Multi-phased Project Approach Due to funding and operational limitations, a single project to rebuild both the runway and taxiway was not feasible. To meet the need to complete the project in phases, L.R. Kimball aviation engineers developed a plan to first reconstruct the taxiway and to complete much of the major earthwork and drainage improvements required for the runway reconstruction at that same time. This first phase took into account the future work to reconstruct the runway and was completed in 2007.
ARRA Provides Necessary Funding In 2009, the shovel-ready runway reconstruction project made it a prime candidate for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) support. With assistance from L.R. Kimball and other project
Project Overview CLIENTBucks County Airport Authority
GOALLeverage federal funding sources to carry out a runway reconstruction project that significantly improves airport safety
L.R. KIMBALL SERVICES• Engineering design• Geotechnical engineering• Construction• Construction management• Storm water management• Wetlands and environmental
services• Runway lighting and signage• Navigational aid design
TARgeTeD ResulTs. expeRTly MAnAgeD.Expert planning lifts runway project off the ground
partners, the project was revived, fully funded and completed within 115 days of its August 2009 start date.
THE CHALLENGESBy 2009, the subpar condition of the airport runway was clearly affecting the Authority’s ability to safely meet customer needs. However, the Authority lacked the estimated $2.5 million funding that was required to bring the runway up to current standards. If funding could be secured, the project could move forward - but not before several design, engineering and construction challenges were addressed. These included:
• The need to meet FAA minimum standards related to runway safety area
• Extremely wet substrate conditions• Four acres of privately owned trees
located on both ends of the runway that had to be removed within 30 days to maintain project funding
The Case for L.R. Kimball
ARCHITECTURE • ENGINEERING • COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGYAVIATION | CIVIL | CONSTRUCTION SERVICES | DATA SYSTEMS | ENVIRONMENTAL
FACILITIES ENGINEERING | GEOSPATIAL | NETWORKS | PUBLIC SAFETY | TRANSPORTATIONL.R. Kimball (SM) is a service mark of CDI-Infrastructure, LLC.
• The need to keep the airport open during construction to maintain air travel and minimize air traffic disruption
• Approaching inclement weather which could sideline the project if it was not completed before winter
When the ARRA funding program was announced, L.R. Kimball quickly seized the opportunity to submit the Quakertown Airport Runway Reconstruction project for consideration. Working with the Authority, PennDOT Bureau of Aviation and the Federal Aviation Administration, L.R. Kimball helped the Authority secure $2.6 million for the runway construction initiative. With colder weather fast approaching, the project clock began to tick.
THE SOLUTIONAs part of its 2004 master planning process, L.R. Kimball had the foresight to renovate the taxiway for a dual purpose – to immediately improve taxiway safety and to have it potentially serve as a temporary runway in anticipation of future runway reconstruction. This proved to be a pivotal consideration related to successful ARRA funding. As an interim runway, the taxiway also addressed the concerns raised by the Authority and airport pilots who were apprehensive about a potential runway shut-down during the three and a half month construction period. The L.R. Kimball team continued to work closely with project partners to ensure that all trees obstructing the runway approaches were removed quickly and according to FAA standards. Because many of the trees were located on private property and had to be removed within 30 days, their removal required diligent but delicate negotiations with landowners. The team met the deadline, giving the project the green light to move forward. The project construction was very difficult due to the time of year and the high water table at the Airport. Construction began in mid-August and the 115-day contract time meant that it would have to be completed by early December, a daunting task in dry weather, let alone the typically wet weather that eastern Pennsylvania experiences during the fall months. L.R. Kimball worked very closely with the contractor, Blooming Glen Construction, and the Airport Authority to ensure that the construction progressed in an orderly fashion and so all design specifications were met. This
TARgeTeD ResulTs. expeRTly MAnAgeD.Expert planning lifts runway project off the ground
ARCHITECTURE • ENGINEERING • COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGYAVIATION | CIVIL | CONSTRUCTION SERVICES | DATA SYSTEMS | ENVIRONMENTAL
FACILITIES ENGINEERING | GEOSPATIAL | NETWORKS | PUBLIC SAFETY | TRANSPORTATION
required constant analysis of the soil subsurface conditions and forward thinking during construction to address the daily conditions. Of particular concern was the final runway paving, which, due to the schedule would have to be completed after Thanksgiving. The close working relationship between Blooming Glen, L.R. Kimball and the Airport Authority paid dividends by ensuring that the project was completed in the allotted time frame.After just 115 days, the L.R. Kimball team had achieved all project objectives, including:
• New runway construction with the required 75-foot width and an additional 3-foot elevation increase on the Runway 29 end
• Moving the centerline 30 feet south of the existing runway to meet FAA runway/taxiway separation regulations
• Increasing the Runway Safety Area to 150 feet, in width and extending 300 feet beyond the ends of the runway
• Increasing the pavement section from 8 inches to 13 inches, with an 8-inch subbase, 3-inch base course and 2-inch surface course
• Adding a new underdrain to manage high water table issues
• Building a 190-foot displacement to provide 300 feet of Runway Safety Area on the Runway 29 end due to a nearby stream
By December, 2009, the taxiway was closed as a runway and returned to its original use
THE RESULTSThe completion of the runway reconstruction project marked the end of a five-year strategic initiative designed to improve safety conditions at Quakertown Airport. To meet this goal, the L.R. Kimball team achieved several objectives set forth by the Bucks County Airport Authority, including:
• Significant safety improvements stemming from a wider taxiway, wider separations between the runway and taxiway, and the removal or trimming of four acres of obstructive trees
TARgeTeD ResulTs. expeRTly MAnAgeD.Expert planning lifts runway project off the ground
TARgeTeD ResulTs. expeRTly MAnAgeD.Expert planning lifts runway project off the ground
TR.C24.2010-06.CS009
• Runway and taxiway upgrades and renovations that brought the airport into full compliance with FAA minimum standards
• Significant improvements to runway pavement conditions, validated through improved post-construction PCIs
• Development and installation of a new drainage and storm water network that included underdrains on the taxiway and runway, as well as three new retention ponds to handle future airport development needs
The success of the project can be linked to three L.R. Kimball attributes:
• Thorough planning and analysis, evidenced by designing the taxiway to serve as a future runway
• Collaboration, evidenced by productive partnerships with the Authority, PennDOT Bureau of Aviation, FAA and others that enabled the project to be completed in just 115 days
• Expert project management that brought the project in under budget and returned approximately $650,000 to the federal stimulus program to support projects in other communities
L.R. Kimball has worked closely with the Bucks County Airport Authority since 1993 and continues to provide architectural and engineering services on a variety of projects.
