by Robert Mark,
CommAvia
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) named Addison Airport the winner of the agency’s Excellence in Construction Safety award for its recent renovation of runway 15/33. The project team was honored at Thursday’s FAA Southwest Regions’ 2011 Fall Conference luncheon for exceeding the agency’s already stringent construction safety standards.
Airport work included upgrading and improving approach and airport lighting, drainage and grading. The efforts translated into 1263 truckloads of asphalt, 181 miles of new paint, 22 miles of electrical cable and enough grass to cover 35 professional football fields. The runway – part of which was reconstructed down to its base – also received a new layer of asphalt.
Unlike some other towns, Addison understands the airport’s value, as well as the day-to-day issues faced at the facility. “Addison is constantly vigilant when it comes to safety—safety for our pilots, for our tenants, and for the general public,” said Mayor Todd Meier. “The Town is committed to investing in the airport for the benefit of our tenants, the traveling public and especially our owners, the citizens of Addison. This award recognizes the hard work of the airport and town staff, as well as the contractors, all of whom went above and beyond to complete this important project safely, on-time and under budget.”
Considering the complexity of the work, the project was completed without a single runway incursion or surface incident. “This work was especially challenging because Addison is one of the region’s busiest general aviation airports,” said Joel Jenkinson, airport director. “We remained operational during most of the construction process, despite the tight schedule and a commitment to interfere with air traffic as little as possible.”
Because safety was the airport’s highest priority Jenkinson explained, “Contractor supervisors had to pass the airport’s Movement Area driver training program and an Airport Access course to make sure they understood how to operate safely in an active aviation environment.”
In addition to members of the Addison Airport staff, representatives of Garver Engineers and EAS Contracting also received the award. The project was 90-percent funded by the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program through a block grant to the TX-DOT Aviation Division. The airport provided 10-percent of the funds to the $11.6 million budget.
About Addison Airport
Addison Airport features an FAA control tower, 24-hour U.S. Customs service, a 7,200-foot runway and some of the nation’s leading 24-hour FBOs. Home to over 700 aircraft ranging from privately-owned Boeing 737’s to Piper Cubs, the airport’s proximity to the Dallas North Tollway provides easy access to business centers throughout North Texas.
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