Nearly $12 million in contracts OK'd for runway at Tulsa International Airport

Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust approved a $11.35 million contract to APAC Central, Inc. and a $559,000 contract to Atkins North America.

The money is part of a $13.2 million overall project to rehab the pavement and bring the runway safety areas (RSA) into compliance with current FAA design standards. Earlier, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved grants totaling $12.2 million in support of the project, which has been on the airport’s Capital Improvement Plan since 2005.

“Our team is excited to get this project moving in order to provide a higher quality runway surface for our users on the west side of our airfield,” Alexis Higgins, CEO of TAIT, said in a statement. “This is the first major rehab project on this runway in more than 25 years, and to be able to upgrade all aspects of the runway and NAVAIDS will no doubt increase the utilization for our customers.”

The project includes a full rehabilitation of Runway 18R/36L, removing the top layer of asphalt and replacing it with new material. Runway rehabilitation is essential to the safe operation of the airport due to weathering and pavement cracking over time.

An FAA review of the predominant aircraft type using the runway prompted the RSA improvments. According to FAA design criteria, the RSA at each end must be 1,000 feet. In order to meet this requirement, a displaced threshold will be added to the north end of the runway. This object-free area will protect aircraft in the event of accidental overruns. New runway lighting and signage will also be installed.

The construction is slated to begin in May 2021 and be completed in October of that year. The airport plans to add an EMAS (engineered material arresting system) to the south end of the runway in 2023 as the final step of the RSA improvements. Impact to operations at the airport during construction are expected to be minimal, with the main runway (18L/36R) still fully in operation.

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