Eastern Iowa Airport’s West Cargo Apron Expansion

Background

For years, due to feasibility challenges and the requirement of significant FAA participation, the West Cargo Apron Expansion project was repeatedly included in the Eastern Iowa Airport’s (CID) capital improvement plan. Providing $1B in discretionary funding, the 2018 Omnibus Bill allowed CID to hire us for necessary survey and engineering services.

Approach

Proactive communication and continual FAA coordination assisted with fast-tracking services in order to maintain an advanced schedule that met funding requirements. Not only did the project include the addition of a new connecting taxiway and concrete apron, one that could accommodate B747-8 aircraft, but also the construction of taxiways and an apron protected for ADG VI movements, future expansion, and neighboring facilities. In total, approximately $10M in improvements were made, including roughly 220,000 CY of unclassified excavation, 52,000 SY concrete apron expansion, and a taxiway connector with bituminous shoulders partially constructed from 20,000 tons of material utilized from CID Taxiway A.

Results

Overall, the project design, including survey, geotechnical, environmental, design, engineer’s report, and bidding process, was completed in approximately two months. The acceleration of design assisted CID’s West Cargo Apron Expansion in being 1 of 37 projects, out of 487 national applications, to receive supplemental funding. Continuing to help CID build upon this design, we completed project construction within one year, making it the first project in the nation completed under the FAA’s 2018 Supplemental Funding Program.