Sully-Miller Contracting Co. in phase II of General William J. Fox Airfield runway pavement rehabilitation project

Sully-Miller Contracting Co.

In phase II of General William J. Fox Airfield runway pavement rehabilitation project

By Brian Hoover, CMS

General William J. Fox Airfield was constructed in 1959 by the county of Los Angeles and is available to general aviation aircraft 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Home to more than 200 based aircraft, this conveniently located airfield also includes several aviation-related businesses and the quaint and popular Foxy's Landing & Restaurant. Additionally, the airport contains an aviation museum and serves as the home base for the U.S. Department of Forestry's local air tanker units. Located in the City of Lancaster, the airport is still owned and operated by the county of Los Angeles. The full-featured airport boasts an air traffic control tower that supports a wide range of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft ranging from small single-engine propeller planes to larger turboprop and even jet aircraft.

General William J. Fox Airfield requires rehabilitation, particularly on Runway 6-24, where the pavement is severely degraded and no longer feasible to maintain. A complete reconstruction of Runway 6-24 was required and scheduled to meet the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the county of Los Angeles Airport Pavement Maintenance Program guidelines and standards. The $15.5 million project was awarded to Sully-Miller Contracting Co. (Sully-Miller), who began the first phase of the project in April 2020. The contract includes all costs for design, inspection, administration, engineering, topographic surveying, material testing, and a change order allowance. Construction costs of $14.5 million were funded with a $12.8 million FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant, with additional funds provided by a Caltrans CAAP AIP grant and the Public Works' Aviation Enterprise Fund. Sully-Miller's portion of the contract was approximately $10.2 million.

As the prime contractor, Sully-Miller Contracting Co. (SullyMiller) will completely reconstruct Runway 6-24 and associated taxiway connectors. This includes the realignment of three taxiways to meet current FAA design standards, with the Fox Airfield runway being shortened to 3,000 feet to aid in the reconstruction of Runway 6-24. It also includes the installation of reinforced concrete pipe and drainage inlets, striping pavement markings and signing, electrical lighting and other miscellaneous work. Each phase of the construction process was designed to keep the opposite end of the runway available for normal operations. In all, approximately 32 acres of the airport runway and taxiway connectors will be reconstructed and completed by the end of the year.

Sully-Miller Contracting’s project at General William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster where they are completely reconstructing Runway 6-24 and associated taxiway connectors.

Sully-Miller is currently in the second and final phase of construction, where they are utilizing FAA specified P-401 asphalt concrete along with reclaimed AC pavement on a P-154 subbase course. Vince Bommarito is the area manager for Sully-Miller/Blue Diamond overseeing the Fox Airfield project in the City of Lancaster. "We started by removing the existing runway and taxiway pavement, followed by the subgrade's reconstruction and recompaction. We imported 18,000 tons of new subbase from Hi-Grade Materials and Granite Materials to create the new runway profile," says Bommarito. "We then began the process of installing approximately 56,000 tons of P-401 asphalt concrete provided by Blue Diamond Materials." According to Bommarito, the general area of reconstruction was more than 1,261,000 square feet. The 7,200 linear foot runway was reconstructed in halves and within two phases. "The major challenge on this particular project was keeping the airport open at existing levels during construction. Our Sully-Miller crew members have done an incredible job of administering the necessary airport safety and security elements and procedures required to keep this airport safely open."

Mike Ramos is the quality control manager for Sully-Miller on the Fox Airfield Runway project. "We are using the typical P-401 FAA mix design, along with a PG 76-22 polymer modified binder for optimum rutting resistance and better performance under higher temperatures," says Ramos. "The P-154 subbase course required 100% compaction, which is not always easy to achieve. Airport base material specifications are extremely stringent, and it was necessary to acquire very high-end base material to meet these requirements."

Ramos says that Sully-Miller had the advantage of using their in-house quality control (QC) personnel, with a vested interest in achieving the highest quality possible. "We have AASHTO trained and certified technicians that develop and test our mix designs to verify that they comply with the appropriate specifications," continues Ramos. "We also used a nuclear densometer to determine and verify the specified compacted material. Finally, we obtained all of the necessary asphalt core samples and analyzed them to ensure that they met all applicable specifications."

Bommarito points out that the Fox Airfield project is located 90 minutes from the Blue Diamond plant, so transporting the mix and keeping it in spec was a challenge. "Logistically, it was a long haul, but with Blue Diamond doing their multiple tests at the plant and our team testing out in the field, everything has gone smoothly," says Bommarito. "This is an airport runway project, and it requires smoothness testing through the use of a profilograph. Our crews have done an outstanding job, and we have been well under the threshold. We do a lot of these airport jobs, and we pride ourselves on smoothness here at Sully-Miller."

Right: Drone shot of Runway 6-24 and associated taxiways. Approximately 32 acres of the airport runway and taxiway connectors will be reconstructed and completed by the end of the year.

The General William J. Fox Airfield Runway Pavement Rehabilitation Project represents the second Envision-awarded project for the county of Los Angeles. This award recognizes leadership in building sustainable infrastructure to projects that have completed the Envision verification process. Quality and professionalism have long been Sully-Miller's primary goals ever since George W. Sully and Earl B. Miller started the company in 1923 with five highway employees, one asphalt plant and a team of mules. Today, as part of the Colas Group, Sully-Miller maintains its technical and financial strength to build infrastructure ranging from roads and heavy highways to airports and commercial private works and maintenance contracts. Sully-Miller Companies are vertically integrated for maximum efficiency with United Rock providing the aggregate, Blue Diamond Materials the hot mix asphalt and then Sully-Miller Contracting, executing the projects. “For almost 100 years, we have built our reputation through our commitment to quality and professionalism. I wish that I could mention and recognize every team member on this Fox Airfield project by name. They give their all on every project and their hard work is very much appreciated,” concludes Bommarito. “I will take the time and space to recognize our management on this job, starting with Scott Conover, our project and area manager. Then there are our project engineers, Mareia Wasef and Andre Tobar and project superintendents, Jim Williamson (construction superintendent) and Todd Roper (paving superintendent). The hard working foremen on this project include Brian Yates (construction foreman) and Arnie Velarde (paving foreman). These men and women deserve a lot of recognition and credit for giving their all on important jobs like this airport rehabilitation project. The entire Sully-Miller team is dedicated to proudly serving our customers now and for the next hundred years.” CA

Brian Hoover is co-owner of Construction Marketing Services, LLC, and editor of CalContractor Magazine.