Aug. 17—The Manhattan City Commission on Tuesday accepted a Federal Aviation Administration grant and selected Clarkson Construction as the contractor to begin construction of the runway at Manhattan Regional Airport.
City commissioners unanimously approved Clarkson Construction of Kansas City, Missouri, to complete the airport runway construction for the lowest bid of $26.85 million.
In July, the FAA announced it would give the airport a $36.1 million grant that the commission officially accepted Tuesday. But a lower-than-expected construction bid means both the federal organization and the city government will pay less for the project, which will "rubblize" the runway's concrete. Rubblization does not involve complete demolition of the runway, but it does, in essence, break up and smooth out the runway surface and allow crews to apply new layers of asphalt and concrete along the runway.
Brandon Keazer, Manhattan Regional Airport director, said the FAA initially would only cover 100 feet of the 150-foot-wide runway, but the final plans take care of the full runway. Keazer said it was important to have all 150 feet redone that they need for large charters.
Keazer said the rubblization project seemed feasible for the airport, and officials submitted it to the FAA, which approved it, allowing full reconstruction and saving about two to three weeks of construction time and $7 million.
The plan is to lay a 5-inch asphalt base after the pavement is rubblized, then crews will apply a 10.5-inch concrete surface. Other outside sections will get a 12-inch surface with no base. The plan also calls for the reconstruction of the secondary runway, as well as adjacent intersections and five taxiways. One taxiway will be removed because of a change in FAA design standards, according to Keazer, and more lights and navigational aids will be placed along the runway.
Construction is expected to last from September to August 2023. This will include complete closures of the airfield from March 28-31, 2023, and May 12 to July 19, 2023. Keazer estimates the airport will be closed for 67 days.
Commissioner Wynn Butler asked if construction crews would be working for eight hours per day or longer. An Olsson Engineering representative said the project is based on 10-hour days, six days a week. No weather days are built in, but if the weather is an issue, construction crews will work 12-14 hours per day and maybe work on Sunday.
The total cost for the project is $34.8 million, including planning and design. The FAA would pay for $28.5 million of the project, a U.S. Department of Defense program's share would be $3.196 million, and the city would pay $3.2 million, which will be paid through general obligation bonds. Construction costs came is significantly lower than engineers anticipated in July 2021, when they estimated a $47 million project.
Mayor Linda Morse said she is impressed with what has been accomplished, and all commissioners were appreciative of the project's cost going down.
Commissioner John Matta asked Keazer if there was a web link on the airport websites about openings and closures during the project. Keazer said he is working on adding those links. Matta said it would be helpful to have it on the city government's and airport's websites.
Commissioner Usha Reddi asked what Fort Riley would do while the airport is closed, and Keazer said Fort Riley would use Salina's or Topeka's airport.
For the general public, while the airport is closed, Keazer said people would likely use the airport in Kansas City or Wichita.
In other business, commissioners unanimously approved:
— Amending the Manhattan Urban Area Comprehensive Plan by adopting and incorporating the amended bicycle and pedestrian system plan. The update to the bicycle and systems plan is to have access to federal funding for Safe Streets for All. The Safe Streets for All program pays for up to 80% of eligible project costs. The bicycle plan has about nine projects, including bike lanes, sidewalks and multi-use paths.
— Vacating utility easements for 521 Richards Drive. The property owner, Shop Quik Stores LLC, wants to get rid of the easement, so it can extend the fuel station.
— Vacating an alley between Pierre Street and Houston Street and vacating a portion of Pierre Street between Third and Fourth Street. These vacations are for the Museum of Art and Light, a $44 million downtown project with a mix of traditional and digital art.
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