See soaring drone video of SLO County airport upgrade
The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport has an updated runway after a six-month construction project that cost more than $13 million, according to a news release from SLO County airport.
The construction included an upgrade to the main runway and taxiway connectors, but did not expand the runway or change use of its property, according to the release.
Drone video footage provided by the airport offers an overflight view of the updates.
The project cost $13.5 million and was entirely funded by a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP), the airport said.
According to the release, the project was completed on budget and on time, which San Luis Obispo County airport officials attributed in part to the construction manager at risk (CMAR) process, according to the release.
The runway rehabilitation project involved the airport’s first CMAR contract, a process which involved greater collaboration between the builder, Granite Construction Company, and the designer, Mead & Hunt.
Through the CMAR process, Granite and Mead & Hunt worked together to set a maximum guaranteed price for the project, prepare the construction site and minimize impacts to on air service, which is why most of the construction was done at night or outside the flight schedule, according to the release.
“The runway rehabilitation project required close coordination among many stakeholders, including the airport team, construction and design firms, airlines and our tenants,” Courtney Johnson, director of airports for San Luis Obispo County, said in the release. “The entire team did an exceptional job carrying out the project safely, diligently, and with the lowest possible passenger impact.”
The airport runway project started in July 2021 and was approved by the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors.
