Change in flight plan

Airports convert, expand facilities to prepare for new functions, more flights

By Sam Barnes

As Louisiana's airports broaden their scope and purpose they're aiming their construction dollars at projects that not only expand but also convert and adapt their facilities.

These projects are targeted at passenger air travel, commercial and military uses.

In Donaldsonville, The Louisiana Airport Authority is pushing forward with a plan to develop an intermodal transportation center that would include an airport to service commercial clients.

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At Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, hangars and aircraft aprons are being revamped for a fleet of B-52s.

And after England Air Force Base was closed as a military base in the early 1990s, its site was converted into Alexandria International Airport. The multiyear conversion will culminate next year with a new $20 million terminal building.

For the most part, expansion has been the name of the game at other airports, as the Federal Aviation Administration ramps up efforts to provide more money to support a growing number of flights.

A National Airspace Redesign study published in June by the FAA focused on numerous airports (including New Orleans International) that are consistently experiencing flight delays. The report identifies problem areas that require heightened construction funding.

FAA said NAR is a "systematic approach to increasing the efficiency and capacity of the National Airspace System . . . This effort will eventually implement projects nationwide."

While it is a national effort, most of NAR's resources are being applied to geographic areas where the need is greatest. To date, the FAA has spent $69 million on NAR and plans to spend $35 million annually through 2008.

Airport officials have been watching the progress of AIR-21, the Aviation Improvement Reform Act for the 21st Century. The four-year measure continues the Airport Investment Program with investment levels of $3.4 billion in 2004, $3.5 billion in 2005, $3.6 billion in 2006 and $3.7 billion in 2007.

Current and planned airport projects reported by the F. W. Dodge Division of McGraw-Hill Cos. are impressive, revealing more than $150 million in planned or active airport construction in Louisiana.

Project snapshots

Chennault Industrial Air Base in Lake Charles. A $7.5 million project at Lake Charles' defunct military air base, now called Chennault Industrial Air Base, has expanded the base's functionality as an airliner maintenance terminal for the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.

Alfred Palma Inc. of Lake Charles completed the project in September, just eight months after groundbreaking. The project called for a 30,000-sq.-ft. warehouse and maintenance building, three smaller buildings, a loading dock and interior build-outs.

Until now, EADS has used locations scattered across the base to stock parts for clients such as FedEx, Air Jamaica and American Airlines.

"This will allow them to have everything in one location," said jobsite superintendent Wade Hanchey.

Work began in late January after demolition and removal of an existing fuel farm that had served the old air base. Tommasi Bros. Inc. of Lake Charles performed the work as part of a separate contract.

"They had to dig down 20 ft., remove the tanks and the concrete foundation the tanks were attached to," Hanchey said. "Once we got to the site, Tommasi had the hole filled back to the original grade."

The Alfred Palma crew placed additional lifts of dirt to bring the entire site to the required elevation, and installed concrete drainage pipe from 15 in. to 6. ft. in diameter for site drainage.

Initial work called for construction of the 30,000-sq.-ft. warehouse, which serves as the centerpiece of the project.

"It's a pre-engineered metal structure that will be used to stock parts," Hanchey said. "There will actually be two sections to the building separated by a two-hour, sheetrock firewall. The smaller section will have a sanding shop and a composite shop." Three smaller buildings were also constructed, and will be used for mechanical functions, chemical storage and non-destructive testing.

The warehouse has 20-ft. eave heights, tall enough for parts to be stacked and for forklifts to maneuver.

"They stack this stuff pretty high, so the levelness of the concrete in the building is very important," Hanchey added. Concrete levelness specifications allowed only .0125 in. variation throughout the 30,000 sq. ft. of floor space.

A self-leveling epoxy coating helped the contractor achieve the stringent specifications, removing any voids or inconsistencies in the slab.

The warehouse is completely air-conditioned and has some interior office space for EADS managers.

Outside the buildings, the crew had to pave a 100,000-sq.-ft. area to support truck and forklift traffic. The paving is made up of 6 in. of limestone rock, a geotextile cloth and 8 in. of 4,000 psi concrete. Angelle Concrete supplied about 3,500 cu. yds. of concrete for all of the site paving.

"The interesting part of this project was the limited time allowed," Hanchey said. "We compensated for that by working in multiple areas at the same time. Paving the site with concrete early in the job was also beneficial, taking weather delays out of the equation."

Barksdale Air Force Base. A 68,000-sq.-meter aircraft apron for B-52s is being reconstructed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City. The metric-designed job will replace an existing paved area that was deteriorating because of an inadequate drainage system.

Head Inc. of Columbus, Ohio, is demolishing the existing 24 in. of pavement and replacing it with 19 in. of new concrete. The new slab will support the base's B-52s, which each weigh 200,000 lbs.

"The existing concrete didn't have a good base," said Ensign Adnan Ahsan, project administrator with the U. S. Navy. "The joint lines had failed and the water would squirt out of the slabs."

A new drain system consists of a French drain piping and is topped with 6 in. of soil cement. About 50,000 cu. yds. of the existing concrete, crushed to a maximum size of 2 in., is then being placed 12 in. deep as base course.

In October, the contractor began paving the new apron with high-strength, 5 megapascals flexural strength concrete, comparable to 30,000 psi compressive strength.

"To achieve that, they're using a high strength 'flex cement' with flyash, a large limestone aggregate and air and water reducing agents," Ahsan said. At full production, the plant makes about 8 cu. yds., or one truckload, every two minutes.

A lab in Shreveport performed preliminary testing of the mix to ensure it met specifications.

"Despite its strength, the concrete is being placed by conventional means (directly from the truck)," Ahsan said. "There's an art to making and placing concrete, and we're fortunate to have a contractor that has done many concrete jobs."

The paving project should be finished by early January, barring significant rain delays.

Baton Rouge Metro Airport. The Baton Rouge Metro airport tackled an ambitious $200 million plan seven years ago that has already created an improved version of the existing airport, with a new terminal building, new parking garage and renovated facilities.

"We believe there is a need (to develop Baton Rouge as) an air cargo destination," said Anthony Marino, director of aviation. "Baton Rouge is geographically and strategically located in a wonderful position for this.

"We have all four of the characteristics of an intermodal facility. We have an interstate that crosses in front of the airport, a railspur, and the Port of Baton Rouge has a barge terminal right next to the airport."

Most recently, Gibbs Construction Co. LLC of Harahan renovated the north terminal building at the airport.

Ricky Smith, project manager, said the multi-phased, $7 million project enabled the airport to accommodate a growing number of flights and passengers.

The project was completed in late summer.

Alexandria International Airport. The continued development of Alexandria International Airport, which began converting from the closed England Air Force Base in the early 1990s, will take a big step early next year.

"We're building a new $20 million air terminal, which should be let for bid in January or February," said Scott Gammel, manager of the airport.

The new 75,000-sq.-ft., three-level terminal is actually the second phase of a four-phase, $33 million project that kicked off last year with construction of the terminal access road. Future phases will include parking and aircraft apron construction, which should all be completed by fourth quarter 2005.

Airline companies such as Continental, Northwest and American have already been attracted to the airport.

Useful Resources:

For the latest AIR-21 funding developments, go to:
http://www.artba.org/government/air-21/

For the latest information about the new terminal and other work at Alexandria International Airport, go to: http://www.englandairpark.org/aex_index.htm