Ascension Island Auxiliary Airfield Runway Repair

RS&H paves the way for construction of “lifeline” runway repairs on Ascension Island

Located in the South Atlantic Ocean, Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island that capitalizes on its location for both the United States Air Force and the United Kingdom Royal Air Force. The airfield at Ascension Island plays a significant role in supporting U.S. Space Force aided by the Space Launch Delta 45, at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida; United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force and several other military mission requirements, as well as governmental agencies located on the British-owned island.

RS&H served as the owner’s representative and provided construction oversight and quality assurance for Wideawake Airfield, Ascension Island’s 10,000-square-foot runway replacement and infrastructure repairs.

The RS&H team worked closely with AFCEC and the general contractor to overcome challenges from the isolated environment and lack of resources. All labor, materials, and equipment had to be transported to the site, factoring in many logistical considerations.

To assist with the management of CPM scheduling and oversight efforts, RS&H Project Controls experts provided a detailed assessment of the work restrictions and logistics changes to identify what activities were impacted. Further oversight was provided on several versions of the contractor’s baseline schedule and update submittals to ensure they accurately accounted for the owner-related issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic and contract scope changes throughout the life of the project, from start to finish.

RS&H staffed this office with highly trained senior airfield construction and project control specialists. Additionally, the team imported and staffed a complete material testing laboratory on Ascension Island that had been fully validated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers Material Testing Center. Through these on-site and technical reach-back resources, the team ensured that the quality of materials and construction methods met the contract requirement(s) and provided years of service life to this renewed runway. Environmental management and controls were in place and carefully avoided any impact on any of the protected marine environment or numerous endangered flora, fauna, and animal life unique to this small island.

Public Resources:

• AFIMSC completes largest runway construction project in years > Air Force Materiel Command > Article Display
• DVIDS – News – Atlantic runway repair reaches halfway point 

Completing the runway repair was a long-anticipated project for the island and provides essential support to civilians and military partners.