Longer Runway Project Nears Completion

800-Ft. Extensions Will Allow for Heavier Flights

RGW Construction has added 400 ft. of concrete to both ends of 30-Left Runway at Mineta San Jose International Airport. The $10 million project will allow airlines to carry more cargo. The five-month-long project also included upgrading the runway's surface from asphalt to concrete, relocating the airport's instrument landing system, new taxiways and runway lighting systems.

By Thomas York

Commercial jets departing from Mineta San Jose International Airport will soon have lots more passengers or cargo on board.

	Photos courtesy of Mineta San Jose International Airport.

General contractor RGW Construction of Livermore is nearly finished with an 800-ft. extension of the airport's 30-Left runway, which will enable airlines to depart with heavier loads. RGW added 400-ft. concrete extensions at the south and north ends of the runway, increasing the overall length to 11,000 ft.

"The more runway we have, the more weight we can put in the aircraft," said Rich McIntosh, assistant project manager for the project. "It's an important business decision for us."

advertisement

The 30L runway extension project is one of $1.3 billion in various projects to upgrade facilities at San Jose, third largest in the San Francisco Bay Area and the closest for Silicon Valley air travelers. The airport upgrade is one of the largest public works projects in the history of San Jose.

Earlier this year, San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales announced the construction of a new $355- million North Concourse. That project is just getting under way with site excavation and utility work.

After the concourse is completed in mid-2007, two other terminals will be built. One of the two existing terminals will be demolished and the second remodeled. The terminal projects will be completed in 2013.

McIntosh said American Airlines, which offers a daily nonstop flight to Tokyo from San Jose, will be one of the first airlines to benefit from the runway extension. He added that American's Boeing 777 aircrafts would be able to carry more fresh produce to Japanese markets in the spring and fall seasons.

The compressed, five-month-long project included upgrading the runway's surface from asphalt to concrete, a material that airport officials said should increase the reliability and longevity of the runway. The project's $23.7 million price tag included relocation of the facility's Instrument Landing System, or ILS, as well as new taxiways and runway lighting systems.

The cost of construction for just the two extensions totaled $10 million, said Dave Kennedy, project manager for San Jose-based RGW.

Kennedy said security was a major concern for his company and the team of subcontractors. Security officials allowed RGW to set up only two gates for the extension projects, and each worker on site had to undergo a fingerprint and background check.

"We were given just one key to each gate for all of us and the subs," Kennedy added.

Once all of the project pieces fall into place, the airport's gate count will increase from 31 to 40. And new terminals will be handle 17 million passengers a year compared to the 11 million that now fly in and out of San Jose International.

Having longer runways will help retain the 12 airlines now serving the airport and help attract new flights. "This gives us a huge amount of flexibility in terms of our landings and takeoffs," McIntosh said.