A Private/Public Affair
The first privately funded, commercial-use airport in the United States, the new Branson, Mo., airport has a unique edge on the aviation market. Privately owned and operated, the facility was built without public funds or grants and therefore without need to meet specific Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards. Regardless, the airport meets FAA standards, allowing commercial service while still earning a profit.
The airport, which serves Branson and the Tri-Lakes Region of southwestern Missouri, features a 16-gate, 58,000-square-foot terminal, a 9,000-foot runway with full parallel taxiway, and expanded parking and utility systems. It includes a three-mile access road with two bridges, a 500-vehicle parking lot with terminal roadways, a wastewater treatment plant, underground water wells with a pumping station, a utility distribution network and stormwater management infrastructure. The airport also includes a rental car facility with a ready/return lot and vehicle maintenance facility.
Burns & McDonnell provided design and construction administration services for the airport and secured all construction permits, including land disturbance, Corps of Engineers 404 permit and utility permits. “The entire facility was built with considerations for future expansion, including construction needs and technology systems that can be upgraded easily as the airport grows,” says Renita Mollman, project manager for the Branson Airport and manager of the Burns & McDonnell San Diego office. “Working with the owner and the FAA to develop a timeline of critical activities, Burns & McDonnell acquired an aeronautical survey to comply with FAA standards for developing instrument approaches into the airport.”
Among the more difficult aspects of this project were the terrain and relocation of 161-kv transmission line. More than 9 million cubic yards of earth and rock were excavated and placed on the airfield and 800,000 cubic yards of rock needed to be blasted on the access road. In addition, a 100-foot right-of-way had to be cleared and graded, as well as the three-mile route for the relocated transmission line.
The airport held a grand opening and welcomed its first commercial flight at 9 a.m. on May 11, 2009. “Burns & McDonnell was challenged by the terrain of this region to engineer and design a facility and runway to fit our needs within the budget and time frame we needed,” says Jeff Bourk, executive director of Branson Airport. “They did an excellent job of accomplishing the goals we set for this project.”
For more information, contact Renita Mollman, 858-547-9869.
Building the Future of Solar Power
The Midwest Research Institute (MRI), along with five additional solar energy organizations, is leading the way to realizing solar energy’s impact with the Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) under construction in Aurora, Colo. Burns & McDonnell is providing comprehensive planning, design and implementation strategies for the project. SolarTAC is the initial development of the larger Aurora Campus for Renewable Energy project. It is being constructed on a 78-acre, greenfield site on which installation and testing of photovoltaic and concentrated solar power systems will take place. The site requires flexibility for a variety of users while still using shared buildings and infrastructure to control costs. Facilities to support solar equipment testing at SolarTAC will include manufacturing and assembly buildings, exhibition and meeting space, and interties with Xcel Energy and required utilities. “The challenge has been anticipating future users, as well as the environmental requirements of this site, and positioning infrastructure to ensure adaptability for anyone who sets up testing facilities,” says Dennis Whitney, Burns & McDonnell project manager.
For more information, contact Dennis Whitney, 303-474-2223.
Change in the Midst of Business
A busy tourist shopping district is no place for frequent flooding. Nor is it the place to impede traffic flow with construction obstacles. The Virgin Islands Public Works Department must address these competing concerns in creating a new streetscape for a one-mile segment known as Main Street in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. The street typically floods with 2 inches of rain, pouring water into the high-end jewelry shops and alley malls that line the route. The 22- to 24-foot-wide asphalt concrete pavement, one-lane road with side parking has irregular 2- to 4-foot concrete sidewalks with limited curb and gutters. As a subconsultant to Jaredian Design Group, a local A/E firm, Burns & McDonnell is providing engineering design, preparation of plans and specifications, and cost estimates for stormwater improvements and traffic maintenance. Design is scheduled to be complete in 2010. “Preliminary plans include evaluating night construction to preserve day hours for business and sightseers,” says Ron Colas, manager of the Burns & McDonnell Miami office. “Aesthetic solutions will include local materials, wider pedestrian walkways and pavers, and sustainable features that maintain and enhance the Caribbean flavor of the island.”
For more information, contact Ron Colas, 305-476-5820.
