b'RUNWAYSMLI 79The FAA approved the plan andIt took a lot of coordination to ensure agreed to fund the project with a $10that the commercial airlines schedules million grant. The bidding processwere not disrupted, he continues. WeFACTS&FIGURES occurred in mid-2021, and Valleyworked hard to accommodate them. For Construction was awarded the contract.example, American Airlines had a dailyProject: Removing Airfield Bullseye Site work was slated to begin in Aprilflight from Dallas that was due to arriveLocation: Quad Cities IntlMoline, IL2022, but before that happened, Leischnerat 11 p.m. every night. If it were delayedStrategy: Shorten general aviation runway to decouple it had to make his second big sales pitch for more than 15 minutes, Americanfrom 2 other runways; construct full-length parallel taxiway this time, to airport stakeholders duringagreed to cancel it, or divert it to to primary runwaytown hall-style meetings. another airport. Concurrent Projects: Removing several taxiways; Construction ran 24/7 throughoutrealigning & straightening 1 taxiway; constructing new The general aviation pilots originallytaxiway end connector; relocating sewer lines; removing, were concerned about Runway 5-23that phase of the project, with workrelocating & reconfiguring airfield lighting, signage & nav being shortened, he explains.When Iprogressing simultaneously in severalaids, including wind cone & PAPI made my presentations, I recall sharingdifferent areas. Despite this, there wereBudget: $10 millionthat most general aviation aircraft thatvery few disruptions in commercial airlineAnnual Operations: 30,103 (34.8% commercial, need 5,000 feet of runway will typicallyschedules. It took a lot of coordination62.7% general aviation, 2.5% military)opt for our 7,000- or 10,000-footbetween the airport, the consultingCommercial Airlines: American, Delta, United, runways anyway. Being able to avoidfirm and the contractor to make thisAllegiantthe extra runway crossings altogetherhappen, Goetz remarks. Construction: April-Dec. 2022appealed to them. In the end, we faced little opposition to the change. Precursors Design & Engineering: Crawford, Murphy & Tilly The project, whichPrimary Construction Contractor: Valley The four commercial airlines servingran from April toConstruction MLI (American, United, Delta andDecember 2022,Pavement Rubblization: Antigo ConstructionAllegiant) were largely unaffected byhad a long gestationPavement Markings & Removal: Ostrom Painting the shortening of Runway 5-23, sinceperiod. Travis Strait, they used the two other runways. LargeElectrical/Lighting: Davenport Electric corporate jets were able to use one ofa project engineerPCC Joint Sawing/Widening/Sealing:with Crawford,Quality Saw & Sealthe two longer runways if necessary,Murphy & Tilly, notesTRAVIS STRAITLeischner notes. This was an importantthat various plansConcrete Mix Supplier: Hahn Redi-Mix option for aircraft flying to and fromconcerning the triple runway intersectionLandscaping: Terrell Erosion Control John Deeres world headquarters onlyhad been discussed for many years.Benefits: Increased runway/taxiway safety; separating three miles away, as well as customersgeneral aviation traffic from commercial operations; at Elliott Aviation, a large maintenance,reduced taxi times for commercial air carriersrepair and overhaul shop on the field.Commercial airline representatives were worried, however, about the eight-month construction period needed for the work. Appeasing those concerns with continual communication before and during construction was a key objective forHelping airports unlock the project team. Intheir greatest potential.late 2021 and early 2022, we frequently met with airline officials, states Joseph Goetz, the airport operations manager. TheyJOSEPH GOETZ @cmtengrs | cmtengr.comknew from the outset that there would be significant night work, and that the airport wouldLearn more about what CMT have to be closed from 11 p.m. to 5can do for you:a.m. each night, for a 45-day period in early fall 2022. AirportImprovement.comMay | June 2023'