City of Carlsbad seeks contractor bids for $4M runway reconstruction at airport

An aging runway surface at Carlsbad’s Cavern City Air Terminal prompted solicitations of a contractor bidding process approved by City Council.

Sealed bids will be accepted beginning July 12 for a $4 million reconstruction project at Cavern City Air Terminal south of Carlsbad, read a City Council document.

City Administrator John Lowe said the majority of funding, $3.8 million, was provided through a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

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He said the City and the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) would provide matching funds of $127,000, per a memo written to City Council.

Cavern City Air Terminal Manager Sherri Chandler said the once the bidding process ends July 28, the City would hire a contractor to work on a secondary runway at the airport.

No construction date was set, according to Chandler.

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She said reconstruction of the runway was long over-due based on testing done through a Pavement Condition Index (PCI).

“It is where a company goes to all the paved surfaces and takes core samples for examination and determines what the PCI is,” Chandler said.

The FAA advocates a PCI test as part of an Airport Management Plan (AMP) as an essential component to make cost effective decisions about pavement rehabilitation and maintenance, according to an FAA document.

Chandler said surfaces of taxiways and runways are given an index number and rated on a scale.

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Pavement maintenance plans are added to routine maintenance inspections for airport operations, per the FAA.

Cavern City Air Terminal has four runways, five taxiways and a ramp for parking, stated the City of Carlsbad’s website.

Chandler said impending work would rebuild the runway, remark designation markings, and decrease the runway width from 100 feet to 75 feet.

She said the City replaced lighting at the edge of the runway during the 2022 fiscal year that ended June 30.

Rehabilitation of the runway appeared needed as commercial flights offered by California-based Boutique Air seemed consistent during two different three-month periods in 2021 and 2022, according to City of Carlsbad data.

More than 3,000 people flew from Carlsbad to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Albuquerque from March to May of 2021.

More:Flights from Cavern City Air Terminal take off in 2021

During the same time frame this year, nearly 2,800 people flew from Carlsbad to catch connecting flights in DFW and Albuquerque to other cities in the United States, according to City data.

“For most people Boutique Air is convenient and lower in cost,” Chandler said.

“The numbers when up usually reflect the cancellation rate. For the month of June, they only had four cancellations and very few delays,” she said.

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: City seeks contractors for $4M project at Cavern City Air Terminal