Spaceport America’s 10,000-ft Runway on Track for Summer Completion

The massive concrete runway is being built by David Montoya Construction.

Runway Construction Continues at Spaceport America

The construction of a new runway is well underway at Spaceport America, the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport. The 10,000-ft runway project, being built for the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, is designed to accommodate horizontal launch space and air operations at the spaceport. The runway is expected to be complete by late summer 2010.

Measuring 10,000 ft long by 200 ft wide, the runway is designed for day-to-day space tourism and payload launch operations like those anticipated for Virgin Galactic, the anchor tenant for Spaceport America. The large concrete runway will also be able to accommodate returning launch vehicles, fly-back rocket boosters and other space launch and training vehicles.

Alameda,N.M.-based David Montoya Construction Inc. is the general contractor building the airfield at Spaceport America. After successfully completed an RFP process, this contractor was selected to provide construction services of the airfield by the NMSA Board of Directors. David Montoya has provided similar concrete paving services for Albuquerque International Airport and Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo.

Sierra Electric Cooperative, based in Elephant Butte, N.M., will provide the electrical power for the spaceport. The system will include a ten-MVA electrical substation and approximately 6-mi of distribution line to connect to a tri-state 115 KV transmission line serviced by Sierra Electric. The firm will also design and construct the substation and distribution line.

Bids are scheduled to be opened later this month for the spaceport’s main 110,152-sq-ft Terminal Hangar Facility designed by URS/Foster + Partners.

Two Bridge Fabrication Jobs Awarded

Arizona Structure Technologies Inc. has been awarded two fabrication projects in New Mexico.

For the City of Albuquerque, AZST is fabricating 10 pre-engineered bridge spans that range from 32 ft to 128 ft long by 12 ft wide, with chord heights ranging from 8 ft to 12 ft. The $650,000 project, which is being constructed at the I-40 Trail and Rio Grande Crossing, is being completed for A.S. Horner Inc. of Albuquerque.

For the City of Santa Fe, the company is fabricating the Santa Fe River Trail pedestrian bridge from Ricardo Road to Camino Alire. The work is being done for Pinnacle Bridge & Culvert Co. of St. George, Utah. The $71,000 project consists of a 10-ft-wide by 125-ft-long pre-engineered bridge.

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