“We also received a full baggage X-ray system. So, the TSA agents don’t have to check by hand everybody’s bag that comes through. Now they just run it through the X-ray machine. So that’s put a little bit more personal space back into travel, and it’s also expedited the boarding process.” AWARD WINNING CHALLENGES A major project to rebuild the airport’s main runway faced unexpected complications, which were swiftly addressed thanks to the quick thinking of Alpena’s engineering and construction teams. The runway construction involved eight inches of concrete, followed by three inches of asphalt, a bond breaker, and another 20 inches of concrete underneath. The plan was to strip off the top layer of concrete, regrind it, and use it as gravel for the remainder of the project. Smigelski recounts,“When they did that, there was a significant amount of weight that was basically lifted off of the substrate. We came into work the next morning, and the main intersection between runway 7/25 and 1/19 had heaved up or basically blown out.” On the fly, a plan was devised to completely rebuild the intersection. Smigelski notes that this involved extensive coordination between the FAA, the contractors, and the engineering firm. “RS&H is our engineering firm, and they did a great job of coming up with an engineering solution in just a matter of days,” he conveys. “Our contractors that were doing the work, M &M Excavating and Pyramid Paving, they just rolled with the punches. It was like it was part of the plan. It added three more weeks to the project, but it got done without any hitches.” Smigelski highlights that the handling of this situation played a key role in Alpena Airport receiving both the Award of Excellence for Apron Rehabilitation and Runway from the Michigan Concrete Association and the Airport of the Year award from the Michigan Department of Transportation Office of Aeronautics. Funded by CARES Act money, this setback added $2 million to the project’s costs, but the airport did not have any additional CARES funds available. In response, the FAA quickly assembled an AIP grant to cover the necessary repairs to the intersection. Emphasizing the importance of the runway project for both civilian and military operations, Smigelski details,“The military requires reinforced touchdown zones because when they bring in a C-17 or a C-5, it can touch down on the pavement at 900,000 pounds.” He describes an additional investment from the National Guard Bureau for the military portion of the construction, which involved starting at the dirt layer and rebuilding with reinforced concrete, followed by the installation of aircraft arresting systems. “Our piece, even with the intersection failure, was about 210 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 11, ISSUE 10
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