b'86 ANCCARGOIn airport applications, most tenants dont actually own theDavis stresses that the fabric, which Legacy manufactures in-land, she relates. So when they make improvements on thehouse, can handle extreme environmental stress, including high land they lease, they want to be sure they can protect theirwinds, earthquakes and 50 pounds of snow per square foot. The investmenttake it with them when the lease expires. facility at ANC also includes 3-foot-deep eaves to shed snow Start to finish, the FedEx structure at ANC was added in sixaway from the building.monthsthree for preparatory sitework and three for facilityWith its high winds, extreme snowfalls and seismic activity, construction.Alaska offers one of the harshest environmental loads ever, Davis Roger Hickel Contracting, of Anchorage, performed thecomments. Mother Nature continues to show off, so the last thing sitework, which included laying water and sewer lines. Its crewswe wanted was to make the news for the wrong reason.also poured roughly 3,000 yards of concrete to create 8-inch-thickFor FedEx, durable structures support the companys emphasis slabs for the building. Concrete footings around the slabs areon customer service. The new facility enables us to ensure the about 6 feet thick. That work was finished by the end of August tooptimal path for each package and increase efficiencies while allow proper curing.providing the same reliable service and commitments to our We were in a race to beat the weather, recalls Scott Dunlap,customers, says Tolbert. We anticipate an increase in volume vice president of the firm. The weather [in Alaska] doesntthrough the facility, which, in turn, could serve to benefit the airport cooperate with concrete in October, so we needed to be donewith increased flights and more revenue through landing fees, fuel before that and on time. Then, right behind us was Legacypurchases and jobs.erecting the building. More Growth ExpectedCrews from Legacy constructed a steel frame with I-beams. TheWassel also expects cargo operations at ANC to continue growing walls and roof are made of two layers of polyvinyl chloride (PVC)in the years aheadfrom FedEx and other carriers, too. She notes flame-retardant fabric with insulation sandwiched between them.that shippers are increasingly turning to air transport as geopolitical In total, the new facility popped up in just three months. September 2024AirportImprovement.com'