15 AirportImprovement.com October 2026 RUNWAYS VNY Those changes required coordination not only with the Airport Operations Department and tenants, but also with the air traffic control tower and FAA. The team conducted Safety Risk Management Panels and formal risk management workshops to evaluate the implications of the shortened runway and the concentrated aircraft movements. Phase 2: Scheduling Closure Windows Shortening the main runway wasn’t enough to rebuild four of the five taxiways scheduled in Phase 2. That work required full runway closures, which the project team scheduled during six intermittent 80-hour windows between November 2025 and January 2026. Given the airport’s diverse general aviation community, operational planning couldn’t happen in a vacuum. Scheduling the closure windows, in particular, required input from airport tenants. Christian Moreno, chief of Airport Operations and Maintenance for VNY, and his team held workshops with 18 flight schools, fixed-base operators and other on-field entities to determine how aircraft would be relocated and when the airport could absorb the closures. Some operators made plans to use Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), Long Beach Airport (LGB) and LAX during the closures. Staff also conducted outreach through the Van Nuys Airport Association and its bimonthly Safety, Security and Sustainability meetings. Ultimately, a plan was collaboratively hatched. “Through continuous communication and collaboration, we were able to find a closure window that minimized disruption while still allowing the project to move forward safely and efficiently,” Moreno explains. The resulting plan called for Runway 16R to close at 6 a.m. on select Mondays and reopen the following Thursday mornings, avoiding the airport’s busiest periods, which typically occur on weekends. The team also strategically incorporated breaks around CHRISTIAN MORENO Planning Engineering Environmental Industry Analysis Program Management Construction Administration Business & Financial Planning www.deltaairport.com DELTA AIRPORT CONSULTANTS, INC. FACTS&FIGURES Project: Reconstructing 11 Taxiways Location: Van Nuys Airport, in CA Owner/Operator: Los Angeles World Airports Project Scope: Full-depth asphalt concrete pavement reconstruction; grading & drainage; airfield electrical; pavement markings Key Components: Stakeholder coordination; construction phasing; NAVAID impacts PHASE 1 Taxiways: D, E, F, Q Cost: $15.5 million Funding: FAA Airport Improvement Program grants; airport’s capital improvement program Design: Jan. 2023-Oct. 2024 Construction: Nov. 2024-Oct. 2025 Prime Consultant: RS&H Engineer of Record: Phil Leung, PE Airfield Electrical Designer: Lean Technology Construction Management: Advanced Pavement Consulting Prime Contractor: Griffith Asphalt Supplier: All American Asphalt Electrical Contractor: Royal Electric Markings: Sterndahl Lighting Supplier: ADB SAFEGATE Airfield Signs: Lumacurve Grading & Drainage: VCA Geotechnical: Diaz Yourman Topographical Survey: Wagner Subsurface Utility Engineering: Bess Geotextile Fabric: Mirafi; US Fabrics PHASE 2 Taxiways: C, H, M, N, P Cost: $18.3 million Funding: FAA Airport Improvement Program grants; airport’s capital improvement program Design: Oct. 2024-May 2025 Construction: July 2025-April 2026 Runway Closures: 6 intermittent 80-hour windows Nov. 2025-Jan. 2026 Prime Consultant: RS&H Engineer of Record: Phil Leung, PE Airfield Electrical Designer: Lean Technology Construction Management: Advanced Pavement Consulting Prime Contractor: Sully-Miller Asphalt Supplier: Blue Diamond Electrical Contractor: Aldridge Markings: Statewide Lighting Supplier: ADB SAFEGATE Airfield Signs: Lumacurve Grading & Drainage: VCA Geotechnical: Diaz Yourman Topographical Survey: Wagner Subsurface Utility Engineering: Bess Geotextile Fabric: Mirafi; US Fabrics
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