Staff recommends that the City Council approve and award the Reconstruction of the Airport Commercial Aircraft Ramp Project to Knife River Construction for $2,941,608.

This project will reconstruct approximately 56,185 square feet of ramp where the airlines park aircraft.  The existing ramp was built in 2001, with 16 inches of concrete and an asphalt pavement section built in 2006 for smaller aircraft, and consists of 5 inches of asphalt that is rutted, not strong enough to support the heavy aircraft that will be parking at the new B Concourse, and needs to be replaced with concrete.  Three sections of the commercial ramp (Schedules I - III) were replaced over the past few years between 2019 - 2022, and the Airport plans to replace the final Schedule IV in the Summer of 2023.  Like Schedules I - III, Schedule IV concrete has been inflicted with Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR).  ASR is a reaction that occurs over time in the concrete between the highly alkaline cement paste and the reactive non-crystalline silica found in many common aggregates and is usually triggered by excessive moisture, resulting in the spalling of concrete, loss of strength, and results in debris that could be sucked into a jet engine causing major damage.  Additives are now included into the concrete mixture to prevent ASR from occurring in the new concrete.  This project includes the removal of the existing concrete and asphalt pavement sections, including slotted drains and the installation of 16 inches of new P-501 Portland Cement Concrete Pavement over 4 inches of P-410 asphalt.  Schedules I - IV were bid separately so that different Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant funds could be applied to the cost of the project as grant funding became available.  

This project was advertised in the Yellowstone County News on February 17, 24, and March 3 and posted on the City and Airport's Websites.  On March 7, 2023, the following bids were received:
 

CONTRACTOR	BID
Knife River Construction	$2,941,608
Century Companies, Inc.	$4,343,802

 

City Council may:

• Approve the award of Schedule IV for the Reconstruction of the Airport Commercial Aircraft Ramp Project to Knife River Construction for $2,941,608; or
• Decline to approve the award, reject all bids, and delay the project.

The total cost of this project is $2,941,608.  This project will be funded at 90% with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) entitlement grant funds and 10% with local match funds.  The FAA's grant funding will be $2,647,447.20 and the local match will be $294,160.80.  The local match funds are budgeted and available in the Airport's Capital Account.