SULLY-MILLER CONTRACTING COMPANY

CLOSE TO COMPLETING CONSTRUCTION OF TAXIWAY P SERVING MIDFIELD SATELLITE CONCOURSE AT LAX

By Brian Hoover, Editor

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the nation’s third busiest airport in annual passengers and annual aircraft operations. After years of construction, the new $1.6 billion, 750,000-square-foot Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) at LAX will open this December. The new concourse features 12 gates and is connected to the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) by a 1,000-foot pedestrian tunnel. MSC will also feature new aircraft parking aprons, taxiways/lanes and various new utility installations. Sully-Miller Contracting Company (Sully-Miller) was selected to construct the new LAX Taxiway P, located west of the concourse.

Sully-Miller crew member performs finishing work at LAX Taxiway P construction where they are utilizing their Bidwell 6500 paving machine to place 42,000 cubic yards of lean concrete base.

Taxiway P’s construction is an $84,135,000 contract that will provide a connection between the north and south airfields and access to the MSC. Specifically, this new north-south taxiway west of Taxiway R will connect to Taxiway E on the north, and Taxiway B on the south. Sully-Miller received notice to proceed in November 2019 and broke ground on the project in February 2020. Construction on this new, approximately 4,000-foot-long taxiway is expected to be complete in December 2020.

Sully-Miller operations manager, Travis Clausen, has been overseeing all aspects of Taxiway P construction. According to Clausen, Sully-Miller is scheduled to perform approximately 60 percent of the $84 million contract to include numerous trades. “The work is being completed in 20 phases, each of which includes concrete paving, asphalt paving, demolition, grading, electrical work, subbase and base, as well as finish electrical and striping. These numerous phases were necessary because we are working in and around a fully operational international airport,” says Clausen. “Completing $84 million of work in just ten months has required multiple crews to work 20 hours a day, six days a week throughout the duration of the project. Coordinating these work hours and strict requirements for daily inspection and quality control/assurance has been a daily challenge.”

Sully-Miller team also used a Telebelt to assist in the placement of 24,000 cubic yards of concrete provided by Catalina Pacific.

Sully-Miller subcontracted the demolition of a US Airways jet airline hangar and a 1.4-milliondeluge gallon water tank to Silverado Contractors, Inc. The electrical work for the new centerline and shoulder lighting and heavy electrical backbone work like the several LADWP ductbanks were subcontracted to Aldridge Electric. Additionally, Sully-Miller subcontracted the taxiway striping to Sterndahl Enterprises, Inc., the underground structure work to Golden Sun Construction, and the PCC pavement equipment was provided by Cooper Engineering, Inc. “There were several important components to this project other than the obvious paving of the taxiway and aprons,” continues Clausen. “We were required to backfill an existing 300-foot by 75-foot tunnel to make way for the construction of the new taxiway. We also excavated and installed a new 10” reclaimed waterline, as well as numerous storm drain lines.”

Sully-Miller is well-known throughout the industry for completing airport projects with minimal intrusion to ongoing daily operations.

The nearly 4,000 linear foot Taxiway P sits on an area that encompasses around 32-acres. Sully-Miller is utilizing Cooper Engineering’s Gomaco 2400 PCC paving machine and a Gomaco RTP-500 rubber-tracked placer to put down 24,000 cubic yards of concrete provided by Catalina Pacific. The asphalt aprons and other miscellaneous roadways were paved with approximately 38,000 tons of asphalt supplied by Blue Diamond Materials. In addition to the concrete and asphalt materials, Sully-Miller has placed 50,000 tons of crushed/recycled material, 40,000 tons of recycled aggregate base, and 12,000 tons of virgin aggregate base throughout the project. “We have maintained an average of 50 crew members on-site at any given time, with some shifts including up to 100 workers, including all subcontractor crews,” says Clausen. “The job has gone very smoothly, and I credit our project management team for safely and efficiently overseeing the daily operations. This includes our job superintendent, Steven Gomez, concrete superintendent, John Flores, and our five foremen: Jesse Soto, Larry Vasquez, Daniel Gomez, Alex Perez and Kevin White.”

Sully-Miller relied on Savala Equipment Rentals for demolition equipment on part of the LAX project.

Sully-Miller is well-known throughout the industry for completing airport projects with minimal intrusion to ongoing daily operations. Their teams work independently and alongside other industry contractors and engineering firms to deliver a wide range of projects. From full reconstruction and significant expansion projects like Taxiway P to minor maintenance jobs, Sully-Miller has the workforce and experience to get it done on time and within budget. Sully-Miller has worked on 38 local airports throughout Southern California, including LAX, Burbank, John Wayne, Long Beach and Ontario airports. “I would like to take the time to thank and recognize the stakeholders on this Taxiway P project for their professionalism and partnering spirit. They are, of course, the great people at Los Angeles World Airports and specifically Los Angeles International Airport, as well as everyone at American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Menzies and Delta Airlines. As always, they have all been great to work with, and we appreciate their trust and support.” For more information on Sully-Miller Contracting Company, please visit their website at www.sully-miller.com or call their Brea headquarters at (714) 578-9600. Cc