Improvements to El Paso International Airport's airfield underway

The El Paso International Airport will undergo $37.4 million worth of airfield improvements over the next two years, spokeswoman Liz Perez Bellegarde said.

Four capital projects -- including runway extensions, taxiway connection realignments and a hangar reconstruction -- are scheduled for the airport.

One of the projects that began last week will extend an east-west runway by 1,100 feet and extend the taxiway for the runway at a cost of $12.8 million, airport project manager Tony Marmolejo said.

Crews will begin pouring the concrete for a 15.5-inch slab on Aug. 15.

"This part will take about 20 days and will require a 24-hour process, for the pouring and curing and so forth," Marmolejo said.

A second, $15.4 million project, which involves rehabilitating taxiway L and reconstructing several connecting taxiways, could go out to bid by October or November.

"We plan to expand the radius of the turn, which will give the aircraft more flexibility to maneuver the turns," Marmolejo said.

A third, $5.2 million project is in the design phase and will enhance the radius of taxiways J and K, allowing for easier aircraft movement and reducing oversteering.

The final project, at $4 million, is in the planning stages and involves redesigning, reconstructing and possibly realigning taxiway A in another part of the airfield and preparing hangar 7 for a new tenant.

Despite the construction activity that people may see at the airport, none of it will affect airline flights, Bellegarde said.

Airport officials said none of funding for the projects comes from local taxes and most will come from Federal Aviation Administration grants and passenger facility fees.

"The public does not always realize that the El Paso International Airport is self-sustaining," Bellegarde said.

Marmolejo said the work is being done to federal standards for safety and quality.

"All the work is being done to enhance the capacity and use of the airfield," he said.

The latest capital projects announced by officials are in addition to the recent improvements completed in the airport's interior.

Learn more about El Paso's airport at elpasointernationalairport.com/2009/index.html.

Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at [email protected]; 546-6140.