b'RUNWAYSCYS 63Crews poured more than 103,000 square yards of new concrete pavement. Cox agrees that working with contractors that havent previouslyCase in point: The recently completed runway project had done airport work was less than ideal. They dont understand thatjust four change orders and one of thema design changewhen youre dealing with the FAA, when a spec says something, itsaved $65,000. Other change orders were due to unforeseen means what it says, he laments. If it says you have to pave whilecircumstances including a buried fiber-optic line that required wearing a pink tutu, thats what you do! If you bid the project, youcrews to re-grade that area, and the discovery of a buried have to follow the directions no matter how stupid they may seemelectrical line. In all, there was only $32,000 in change orders for to you. the projects final phase. Miller says that although IHC Scotts crew is experienced, shes always looking for ways to improve. Im pretty young, so Im stillGetting Ready to Reopenlearning every day. Sometimes you make decisions that make youIn the weeks leading up to the September reopening, IHC Scott think, Well, that could have gone a different way. Maybe well trycrews worked with Fox and Cox to finish last-minute details not to do it that way next time.and prepare for the final inspection with the FAA and Wyoming Transportation Department. At the same time, Bradshaw and It also was key to roll with the proverbial punches. From thehis communications team reassured the communityespecially engineering side, the biggest lesson learned was that we neededpassengers who had already purchased ticketsthat flight to be flexible with all the changes that are going on in the world,operations really would resume as scheduled. says Fox. Within the past few years, especially starting with COVID, everything changed drastically. And theres nothing reallyTrue to form, a SkyWest plane from Denver International Airport anyone can do about it, but just figure out how to find quickwas able to land on CYS newly reconstructed runway at 9:34 solutions and keep the project moving forward. p.m. on Sept. 9, and took off the next morning with a load of passengers. Speaking from the airports perspective, Cox credits IHC Scott for being an incredibly responsive project partner that broughtIt was a moment the whole team was eager to see. Theres solutions to the table, not just problems. That said, he believesno one on this job who didnt contribute to the success, Miller there needs to be an airport person engaged full time in suchemphasizes. It was a very, very amazing sight to see that plane projects. You cant just hand it off to an engineer or anybodyland Saturday night.else to look at the project the same way you would, he says. IBradshaw and other CYS leaders are glad to have the project guarantee Ive saved more than six figures just by being in thebehind them. The new runway pavement is not expected to need right place to say, Thats not going to work. If we do it this waymajor work for more than 20 years. instead, we wont have to redo it and well save the airport and the federal government a lot of money.AirportImprovement.comNovember | December 2023'