Omaha firm awarded Cedar Rapids airport project

An Omaha contractor has been awarded a $21.8 million contract for the reconstruction of the main runway at The Eastern Iowa Airport.

The Cedar Rapids Airport Commission on Monday approved the low bid of Hawkins Construction Co. to rebuild the airport's 62-year-old primary runway. The project includes reconstruction of the intersection of the 8,600-foot runway with the airport's 6,200-foot secondary runway.

An engineer's estimate put the cost of the Cedar Rapids project at $22.4 million. The commission also received bids of $27.9 million from Cedar Valley Corp. in Waterloo, $22.8 million from McCarthy Improvement Co. in Davenport and $22.2 million from Manatt's Inc. in Brooklyn.

Hawkins Construction was the primary contractor for the reconstruction and extension of a 4,000-foot runway to 8,153 feet at Omaha's Eppley Airfield Airport, including its intersection with another 8,500-foot secondary runway.

Reconstruction of the primary runway at The Eastern Iowa Airport is scheduled to begin in

late spring. Airport Director Dan Mann said 120 days is budgeted for the project.

A taxiway parallel to the main runway, which has been extended to 7,000 feet, will serve as a temporary runway while the main and secondary

runways are closed for construction. The temporary runway will have landing lights and an instrument approach system with slightly higher minimum visibility requirements.

Mann said the airport's secondary runway will be closed for 25 days while the intersection is rebuilt. When that work is completed, aircraft will have access to the secondary and temporary runways.

The Federal Aviation Administration in November 2007 committed $26.6 million in funding for the runway project. The Eastern Iowa Airport was one of only four airports nationwide to receive similar funding commitments.

The FAA has committed about $40 million toward the $47.3 million cost of the overall project, which includes the taxiway extension, electrical and lighting equipment and a $5.5 million reconstruction of the east end of the main runway in 2006. The airport will pay the difference as its 15 percent share of the overall project.

Mann said the project was projected to cost $46 million when it was initially proposed to the FAA four years ago.

“Here we are with all phases either constructed or bid and we're at $47 million,” Mann said.

“In view of the oil price spike and other things that have affected bids for a while, I'm very happy that we're going to get this done at this price.”