Colorado Springs Airport

RS&H was selected by the City of Colorado Springs to provide design and construction phase services for the Airfield Lighting Control and Monitoring System in 2008, then selected to provide on-call engineering services in 2009, 2014, and again in 2018, which included design, bid and construction phase services. Projects included runway rehabilitations, apron rehabilitations, taxiway reconstructions, landside improvements, planning studies, and owner representation. These projects included pavement design, grading, operational phasing, airfield electrical improvements, drainage improvements, and other civil-related improvements.

The airfield supports commercial-civil-military aviation and is the second busiest in Colorado. Peterson Air Force Base uses the adjacent airfield which supports the joint military missions of Peterson AFB, US Air Force Academy, Schriever AFB, Cheyenne Mountain AFS, and deployment of the 4th Infantry Division (ID) and other associated units of Fort Carson. In addition to assigned aircraft, the airfield supports the full spectrum of transient US military aircraft. RS&H is very experienced with UFC and DoD criteria and routinely coordinates with USAF and military stakeholders to obtain operational impacts, aircraft criteria for design, and construction phase coordination.

Terminal Apron Rehabilitation and North Apron Edge Taxilane Reconstruction. Under the on-call consulting agreement RS&H provided design, bid and construction phase services for the rehabilitation of the commercial terminal apron, reconstruction of the north apron edge taxilane, and replacement of the trench drain system around the terminal.

For the development of those rehabilitation alternatives, RS&H inspected and evaluated the current condition of the existing trench drain system, performed a complete evaluation of the existing terminal apron pavements, evaluated the historical Portland cement concrete pavement sections developed for the original construction of the terminal apron, investigated the existing in-situ soils and their associated design properties, analyzed current aircraft fleet mix levels expected to utilize the terminal apron, and performed pavement design analyses using FAA computer software (FAARFIELD). This project won the CO/WY Chapter of the ACPA award for best Concrete Pavement Restoration project-Airports in March of 2017.

Taxiway Reconstruction. Under the on-call consulting agreement RS&H provided design, bid and construction phase services for the rehabilitation of numerous taxiway reconstruction projects. Mush of the concrete pavement at the airport had been determined to have Alkali-Silica-Reactivity (ASR). RS&H engineers developed a replacement pavement section for the airport to use on all of their pavements, which was implemented with other concrete pavement replacements. The projects included replacement of the existing pavement section with new 16-inch PCC, including the installation of new asphalt shoulders and subsurface edge drain. The projects included: Taxiway C Reconstruction; Taxiway M,N, and P Reconstruction; Taxiway H Reconstruction; Taxiway M and F Reconstruction; and Taxiway E, G, and H Reconstruction (Multiple Phases). The Taxiway M & P Reconstruction project received the Award for Excellence from the CO/WY Chapter of the American Concrete Pavement Association in the category of Commercial Service Airports.

Deice Apron Construction. Under the on-call consulting agreement RS&H provided design, bid and construction phase services for the construction of a deice apron on the west side of Taxiway E, just north of the Arrival/Departure Airfield Control Group (A/DACG) Facility. The deice apron will also be used during the summer months as a United States Forest Service (USFS) tanker base for aerial firefighting. A new taxilane was constructed to connect Taxiway E and the new deice apron.

The apron and taxilane were constructed with Portland cement concrete pavement with new asphalt shoulders. The asphalt shoulders were constructed with subsurface edge drains that connect to the storm drainage system. Drainage improvement included construction of a trench drain, a diversion system, fuel interceptor, meter pit, construction of a new retention pond and grading improvements to an existing detention basin. New taxiway edge lights were installed for the new taxilane connector from Taxiway E to the Taxiway Safety Area. New high mast lighting was also installed on the west edge of the apron.

This project required coordination with the USFS as it included planning for and preserving a site for the service building, fire retardant storage tanks, vehicle entrance road and parking lot.

Utility design included water and sanitary main extensions to the project site. The sanitary lines provide a controlled release from the deice containment pond to the Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) sanitary sewer system for ultimate treatment.

Runway 17R-35L Rehabilitation. Under the on-call consulting agreement RS&H provided design, bid and construction phase services for the rehabilitation of Runway 17R-35L, an 11,022-foot long, 150-foot wide runway consisting of grooved asphalt pavement and 25-foot wide asphalt shoulders. The connector taxiways rehabilitated include portions of Taxiways A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, B1, C1, C2, C3, G, C5, C6 and C7. These taxiways vary in width (75-feet to 125-feet) and consist of asphalt pavement with 25-foot wide asphalt shoulders.

This project included the following items: Mill/fill asphalt pavement rehabilitation; Seal Coat / Crack Seal of the runway and taxiway shoulders and blast pads; installation of new 25-foot wide shoulders on some connector taxiways; replacement of airfield electrical infrastructure associated with the project area including new edge lights, cable/transformers, guidance signs, and windcone relocation/replacement; PAPI replacement on Runway 35L; REIL replacement on Runway 17R; new pavement markings; and new backup generator and Airport rotating beacon.

Runway 12-30 Rehabilitation. Under the on-call consulting agreement RS&H provided design, bid and construction phase services for the rehabilitation of Runway 12-30, removal of Taxiway B2, extension of Taxiway B3, and evaluation of Runway 12-30 observed deficiencies. Evaluation of the existing conditions on Runway 12-30 included investigation of non-standard radii at the Runway 12-30 and connector taxiway intersections, Runway 12-30 line of sight, longitudinal and transverse gradient requirements and evaluation of existing modifications to standards on record.

The existing asphalt paved surface for Runway 12-30 had been observed to exhibit cracking, oxidizing and some rutting.  This includes fatigue cracking along the gear path of the C-130 aircraft that utilize the runway frequently. Runway 12-30 was re-designated to 13-31 due the change in magnetic declination.  This declination change required changing the existing Runway 12-30 hold signs and directional signs at various locations around the airport.  Also included was the complete removal of Taxiway B2 and the extension of Taxiway B3. The existing intersection configuration caused pilot confusion because of the limitation on where taxiway guidance signs could be installed. By removing Taxiway B2 and extending Taxiway B3, a left turn movement was added to westbound Taxiway B in order to access the full length of Runway 17R-35L.