• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Recovery Funds Pave the Way for Runway Repair

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090501-51
Release Date: 5/1/2009 9:22:00 PM

By James Johnson, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- The Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), Kauai will have its runway repaired thanks to a $20 million dollar contract awarded to Bulltrack-Watts, a Joint-Venture, on April 28, by Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Hawaii, using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding.

"The repair of runway 16 - 34, taxiways 1-19, and aprons have come at a critical time," said Capt. Aaron Cudnohufsky, commanding officer, PMRF, Kauai. "The asphalt surfaces are at the end of their 25 year service-life and the repair costs over the past few years for patching and sealing the failing surfaces have significantly increased. This project will ensure the PMRF airfield is mission ready for the next 25 years."

Bulltrack Construction Co. is an 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Business based in Marysville, Calif. Watts, the mentoring partner of the joint venture, has a permanent office in Honolulu and hires much of its workforce locally. The two firms have formed a joint-venture partnership as part of the Department of Defense (DoD) Mentor Protégé Program, which allows small businesses to compete for prime contracts and subcontract awards by partnering with larger companies.

This is the first contract awarded by NAVFAC Hawaii to a small business using ARRA funds. The contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic commerce online Website with seven bids received. The exact amount of the award is $20,681,900.

"We are very pleased to have been awarded the runway repair work at PMRF Kauai," said Denny Watts, president, Watts Constructors LLC. "This project, one of the first awarded with funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, is great not only for our mentor protégé team; but also for the jobs it will create for workers on the Island of Kauai and in the State of Hawaii."

Work at the PMRF site in Barking Sands, Kauai, will include saw cutting and cold mill planning the existing asphalt concrete pavement of the runway, taxiway, and aprons. The repairs address a critical need for the runway, where pavement conditions have fallen below acceptable levels, and for the taxiways and aprons, where pavement conditions are just above acceptable levels. These levels are determined by an analysis of the Pavement Condition Index (CPI). Deteriorating conditions increase the risk of damage to aircraft by foreign object debris, such as small pieces of concrete and asphalt.

The Department of Defense received $7.4 billion from the ARRA, which is less than one percent of the $787 billion total amount. The Navy in Hawaii received $124 million to modernize Navy and Marine Corps shore infrastructure, enhance America's energy independence, and sustain a steady and robust Maritime Force for decades. In order to help put local contractors to work, ARRA funds will be spent as quickly as possible.

For more news from Naval Facilities Engineering Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/navfachq/.