The Quad Cities International Airport (QCIA) is right on target for removing its worrisome and ofttimes confusing runway design feature – the bullseye. The bullseye is a point in the middle of the Moline airfield at which all three runways intersect. The potential for human error at the juncture has long concerned the QCIA, which […]
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The Quad Cities International Airport (QCIA) is right on target for removing its worrisome and ofttimes confusing runway design feature – the bullseye.The bullseye is a point in the middle of the Moline airfield at which all three runways intersect. The potential for human error at the juncture has long concerned the QCIA, which has launched a new $10 million capital improvement project to improve the layout. Benjamin Leischner, executive director of the Quad Cities International Airport, describes a major construction project underway to remove the airfield’s bullseye configuration. CREDIT QUAD CITIES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT“We’re one of only two airports where three runways still intersect at a single point,” QCIA Executive Director Benjamin Leischner told the QCBJ on a recent airport tour. The other, he said, is the municipal airport in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “This has been an area of concern for the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration),” said Mr. Leischner, a commercial instrument pilot himself. He added that the bullseye intersection “can be confusing for pilots.” While no serious incident has occurred due to the intersecting runways, he said “the project has been a long-time coming.” Mr. Leischner said “We’ve had multiple pilot incursions” at the bullseye, which is when a pilot pulls onto the wrong paved surface. While the airport has taken measures to improve safety there including improved runway lighting and additional directional and runway markings, the plan now is to remove the bullseye configuration, which will improve the airport’s geometry and ultimately, airfield safety, he added. In April, crews with Rock Island-based Valley Construction began demolition work to remove 1,500 feet of existing pavement from the now 5,000-foot-long general aviation runway (Runway 5/23). The work will create a 3,500-foot-long runway that no longer extends into the bullseye – leaving only two runways intersecting, which is not uncommon. In addition to the demolition work, “We’re adding concrete to close the gaps in the taxiway,” said Ashleigh Davis, the airport’s public relations and marketing manager. That work will create a single continuous taxiway that will parallel Runway 9/27, which at 10,000 feet, or two miles long, serves as the primary commercial runway. According to Mr. Leischner, commercial and general aviation traffic will benefit from the changes. “The shorter runway will be closest to the general aviation hangars creating a campus that is separate from commercial traffic,” he said. “We’re keeping the 3,500-foot runway (Runway 13/31) and that’s good for general aviation.” But for those aircraft needing a longer runway, he said they still can use Runway 9/27 or Runway 13/31, which is 7,000 feet in length. The improved taxiway will be more efficient for commercial pilots, who now must make a series of turns to reach or exit the runways. No construction work is planned on Runway 13/31.
Construction underway
Valley Construction Executive Vice President Adam Hass said the family-owned company won the project last fall and has been preparing for months coordinating schedules, ordering materials and working with the airport and engineering team. “We wanted it (the contract) because it’s all our core competencies and it’s an anchor project that you know you’ll have that job all this year.” While it also is a large construction job, Mr. Hass said “bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better in our industry. There’s bigger financial risk, but for us it’s the things we do well – removal of pavement, moving earth, installing pipe and big concrete pavement work.”On the job site since April, crews are currently demolishing runway pavement, separating metal rebar from it for recycling, and have set up operations on-site to convert chunks of concrete into gravel. Mr. Hass said the recycled material will become the aggregate base during the construction phase.Valley is no stranger to the airport, where it completed a major drainage improvement project last year. “Valley has been out here on some project every year since I’ve been here,” Mr. Leischner said. “It’s hard (for the public and others) to appreciate the magnitude of the preparations that go into a project because it all runs so smoothly.”Mr. Hass added “having the relationship we do with the airport is beneficial for both parties. We understand their expectations … and there’s somewhat a comfort level and trust the airport has with us that we take their requirements seriously.” Noting that the job was a competitive bid process, Ms. Davis said the airport is pleased to have kept the jobs local. “Since we were able to get (100%) federal funding, we’re able to reinvest that back into the community,” she added.
Nighttime closures
While the traveling public will not experience any schedule changes during construction, there will be intermittent runway closures to accommodate Valley and subcontractors. In fact, sometime this month, the airport will close down its runways overnight to allow work to take place inside the bullseye, Mr. Leischner said. “The FAA doesn’t allow you to get within a certain amount of feet to a runway when it is in operation,” Mr. Hass said, adding “We do have to work close to the main Runway 9/27, so we have to do that work at night.” “We’ll get to shut down about 11 p.m. and be back open by 6 a.m.,” he said. “We have to set up and tear down each night, so that will be an intense 30 nights.”In the past, Mr. Leischner said the FAA had allowed airports to build temporary runways to divert air traffic during construction. “We were the last airport where the FAA let that happen,” he said of a runway reconstruction project in 2011 long before his tenure.The only negative to shutting down overnight, he said, is that “since we essentially will be closed we can’t serve as the emergency backup to Chicago.”
Supply chain, worker challenges
Like all construction projects big and small these days, the airport anticipated having its own supply chain issues on the project. Mr. Hass said purchase orders were placed last winter but the company already has been hit by supply issues. “Material that was supposed to be on-site already has been delayed for months. Promises of March turned into June and now November.”“Manufacturers are just not meeting commitments,” he said, adding that to keep on schedule, the project team is looking at alternative products that are more readily available. “We do not believe that our completion date is in jeopardy at this point,” Mr. Hass said. The project is expected to be completed by late November.But like the entire construction industry, he admits worker shortage is a real issue. “What we do is hard work and dirty work … We’re a union company and we pay well with great benefits. But it’s tough, we’re definitely challenged to get more staff,” he added. Add in scheduled nighttime work – required by the overnight closures – and it increases the recruitment challenge. But the work also means overtime and more hours for employees, Mr. Hass said. “If we are able to get over the supply chain hurdles, we think the job is going to go well,” Mr. Hass said. “We have a good plan on how to build it. The second half of the year there’s going to be a lot of work to accomplish, but we’re capable and have the manpower to do it.”
QCIA airfield project snapshot
Project scope: A new airfield construction project will remove the “bullseye” configuration – the location that the airport’s three runways intersect. In doing so, the general aviation runway (Runway 5/23) will be shortened by 1,500 feet to become 3,500 feet long. Construction also includes a new taxiway parallel to Runway 9/27 (the primary commercial runway). Construction team: Lead contractor is Valley Construction, based in Rock Island; engineering consultant is Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc. (CMT), with offices at the Moline airport; and the architect is Alliaance, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Project cost: $10 million (including $8.8 million construction costs). The project is funded 100% by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Job creation: The project is expected to have a crew of about 15 tradespeople working on any given day up to 30+ on sight during the concrete phase. In addition to Valley, a number of subcontractors are involved including Davenport Electric Contract Co. (DECCO), which is completing the project’s electrical work. Material volumes by the numbers:
67,000 square yards of runway and taxiway removal.
30,000 tons of recycled concrete to be put back in the job as the aggregate base.
60,000 cubic yards of topsoil and dirt moved on the project.
10,000 cubic yards of concrete poured for new taxiways.
10,000 linear feet of underdrain and storm sewers.
100,000 linear feet of wire and cabling for the new lights, signs and flight control systems.
Project completion: November 2022 (with some landscaping and finishing work in Spring 2023).Fun fact: The QCIA is one of only two U.S. airports that have three runways intersecting at a single point on the airfield. The other is in Santa Fe Municipal Airport in New Mexico. Watch drone footage of the project: https://youtu.be/rUKrzneMV_oSource: Quad Cities International Airport and Valley Construction
Quad Cities International Airport - At A Glance
About: Located in Moline, the Quad Cities International Airport spans 2,000 acres and serves passengers from western Illinois and eastern Iowa. Management: The airport is managed by the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Rock Island County, which is governed by a board of commissioners who are appointed by the Rock Island County Board chair and the mayors of East Moline, Milan, Moline, Rock Island and Silvis. QCIA leadership: Benjamin Leischner, A.A.E., became the airport’s executive director in 2018.Air service: The QCIA is served by four major airlines: Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. Passenger activity: In 2019, the airport served more than 700,000 passengers. While the airport has recovered about 18-20% of that activity level, the industry expects air service will not return to pre-COVID-19 levels until 2023 due, in part, to staffing shortages across the industry.Latest statistics: In April, the QCIA had 48,439 total passengers – up from 36,594 a year earlier and only 2,734 total passengers in April 2020 amid the pandemic. More information: Visit qcairport.com.
Recent capital projects at QCIA:
Late 2021: A new paging system was installed to replace the obsolete system. The intuitive system senses noise in the terminal and automatically adjusts the volume up or down and allows zone-based messaging throughout the terminal. September 2021: Completed installation of more than 4,500 solar panels on newly constructed carports in the public parking lot as well as on the terminal building. The 1.9-megawatt system was an $8 million project financed by WCP Financials of Hoffman Estates at no cost to the airport. The solar panels will supply at least 50% of the airport’s energy – saving it $600,000 in energy costs over 25 years. But with the rapidly rising cost of energy, the airport expects to eclipse the savings estimate much sooner. June 2021: Installed a new technology-based parking system that includes new pay-on-foot stations, touchless entry and entrance/exit kiosks that work with your smartphone. June 2020: The airport completed a $6 million construction project to improve drainage in an area impacted by the Rock River’s seasonal flooding. Valley Construction, Rock Island, won the bid and installed concrete culverts as well as raised the problem area’s ground level by four feet. Project GATEWAY: The airport is in the planning stages of a major modernization known as Project GATEWAY. The estimated $40 million-$60 million project, first unveiled in March 2021, will transform the aging terminal and ticketing area as well as the baggage claim. The project, which will take three to five years to complete, is studying a variety of concepts and terminal improvements. Among the ideas are: new curbside features, expanded ticketing space, mobile check-in kiosks, relocating TSA screening equipment, and a new indoor/outdoor space near baggage claim to provide an airfield viewing space. The work also will include airside renovations. Minneapolis-based Alliiance was selected in early 2020 as the design firm. In late 2021, the airport selected Mortenson as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR). Mortenson will partner with Bush Construction, Davenport, and Chicago-based R.M. Chin & Associates. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Mortenson has offices in 12 cities including Iowa City, Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis. Project GATEWAY will mark the first major remodel of the now aging landside facility since 1985.Source: Quad Cities International Airport
