b'FUELINGGSP 55double GSPs storage capacity in shortday, while both commercial and cargo order. After reviewing multiple proposalsaircraft needed to be refueled at thefor the project, the airport chose thesame time. design-build team of Argus Consulting andProject designers opted to locate the Attaway Services. two new tanks in an empty field near the To win the contract, Argus and Attawayexisting smaller tanks.had to prove they could meet severalStefen Rice, senior criteria. Key project requirements included: project manager forAt least 200,000 extra gallons ofAttaway, notes that fuel storage needed to be addedcontractors faced to supplement the airports existingtheir first challenge 150,000 gallons of storage. Ultimately,before construction two vertical tanks provided 252,000began. The ground more gallons of capacity. at that site was filledSTEFEN RICEConstruction could not impede thewith old soil and airports regular operations.concrete chunks from previous projects, Access to the fuel farm had to behe relates. Our engineers determined that configured so tractor-trailer trucksthere would be way too much settlement delivering fuel to the new storage tanksto meet safety standards, especially for a would not interfere with fueling truckslarge tank holding jet fuel. Therefore, we that service aircraft throughout the day. moved 20,000 cubic yards of material,Designers had to leave room toand trucked in new engineered fill from the accommodate two more vertical tanksoutside to use as the base. for possible further expansion in theTanks were erected in place; no off-site future.fabrication was done. The tricky part was A new fuel station operations buildingconnecting the new system to the existing activity, six commercial airlines and activehad to be constructed within the fueltankage without disrupting operations. general aviation traffic. In fact, it takes eightstation complex.Much of this work occurred at night, during fuel trucks to keep pace. And now that theThe final, approved plans for the projectfour-hour windows. pandemic is slowing, Howell expects airlinecalled for two 32-foot-tall tanks, eachThere was a lot of welding, testing and traffic to continue growing steadily. capable of holding 126,000 gallons ofdrain-downs during these periods, states The commercial segment comprisesJet-A. The new vertical tanks are locatedRice. We had to install piping under the about 65% of our overall operations, henear the old fuel station. A network ofracetrack, which is the airports main artery shares. We have to continue to keepunderground pipes connects the new tanksfor fuel trucks that service aircraft. We had those customers satisfied by havingwith the existing 30,000-gallon tanks.to cut up the track, excavate it and then enough fuel available to meet their needs.A key element of the new design wasput in new asphalt. determining how large outside fuel deliveryWe ensured that the overnight work Adding Capacitywas completed within the given timeframe, trucks would get in and out of the station. With so many stakeholders depending on aA dedicated gate on the south side of theand that airport operations would not be steady supply of fuel, airport officials knewairfield was added for just this purpose.disrupted for the next mornings flights. they had to increase on-field storage. ByMeanwhile, the airports own trucks thatOnce the tanks were erected, Attaway 2020, the airports old fuel station, whichdeliver fuel to aircraft approach the fueland Argus conducted a two-day training consisted of five 30,000-gallon tanks, couldstation from the north side of the propertyclass for all airport employees who barely keep up with demand. In someto reload their tanks before proceeding towould be involved with the new tanks situations, we had fuel storage capacity forparked aircraft.and associated systems.The staff here less than two days, Howell recalls. AndThis was awas great to work with, and was already when an unexpected disaster happened,complicated process,familiar with fueling operations. They were as was the case a few years ago with theremarks Garrettexcited to use the new infrastructure we Colonial Pipeline shutdown, we had to bringGjerstad, businesshad constructed, says Rice. We also had in delivery trucks from all over the Eastunit director of generalweekly meetings throughout the duration Coast. aviation for Argus.of this project, so everyone remained In the early planning stages of the recentSometimes, six orGARRETT GJERSTAD informed and involved with the projects $5.5 million expansion project, airportseven large tractorexecution.officials knew that they had to at leasttrailers would make deliveries on the same AirportImprovement.comMarch | April 2023'