Tres Esquinas, Runway Phase I

Location: Caqueta, Colombia
Client: US Army Corp of Engineers
Designer: US Army Corp of Engineers

In support of US government policy, “Plan Colombia” was implemented to assist the Republic of Colombia in combating insurgent forces and coca processing operations in the South west of the country. A key element in this military operation was the construction of an all-weather, 5000-foot long concrete runway.
Under a contract with the US Army Corps of Engineers, over a period of several rainy seasons and often under hostile fire, our company mobilized and transported over 20,000 tons of aggregates, cement and essentials construction materials to the jobsite. The transport was done via cayuco, a wooden dugout boat, down the Rio Orteguaza. Today the runway plays a key role in the government´s war on narco-terrorism.

Features:

  • Project included numerous pavements upgrades, including geo-membrane, joint sealing, pavement marking, etc.
  • In particular, project included approx. 400 lm of PCC runway construction.
  • Project required air transport and set up of portable concrete batch plant on site.

Construct Honduran Naval Maintenance Pier

Location: Honduras
Client: Fuerzas Navales de Honduras
Designer: US Army Corp of Engineers, Mobile District

In an effort to enhance the ability of the Honduran Navy to meet its security mission, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contracted our company to construct a naval maintenance / shipyard facility on the northern coast, capable of drydocking patrol boats and performing general ship repairs.
The construction consisted of the on-site manufacture and driving of 240 pre-stressed concrete piles, construction of cast-in-place pile caps and precast girders, beams and deck units. The project also included the construction of repair shops, training rooms, office buildings, and a base-wide seawater emergency firefighting system.

Principal construction features included:

  • On-site fabrication and installation of 7,000 m of pre-stressed concrete piling.
  • Dredging of approximately 100,000 m3 to construct approach channel.
  • Construction of breakwater
  • Construction of maintenance facilities and dining hall.

Resurface Runway, Enrique Malek Airport

Location: David, Panama
Client: Directorate of Civil Aeronautics
Designer: US Army Corp of Engineers
In support of the U.S. military´s host-country civil works projects, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contracted our company to upgrade the most important runway in the west of Panama. Originally built during World War II, the runway had suffered decades of neglect and was considered unusable by many. Over the span of five decades, the province of Chiriquí and its capital, David, had grown in population and wealth, and their importance to the country´s economy had increased exponentially. For many years, the national authorities had also envisioned the airport becoming the country´s third international port of entry and exit.

These multiple objectives were accomplished with the quick start and rapid conclusion of this challenging project. The airport upgrade required the installation of a portable batch plant and long-distance logistics to conclude the project under an accelerated schedule while maintaining the airport´s daily flight schedule. A well-equipped quality control laboratory was erected at the site and a highly successful safety program was implemented, yielding a pavement of superior quality and another zero-accident project.

Features:
• Installation of 45,000 m2 of asphalt concrete runway pavement.
• Reconstruction of existing runway drainage and the construction of new taxiway culverts.

Repair Runway and Aprons

Location: Howard Air Force Base, Panama.
Client: US Air Force
Designer: US Army Corp of Engineers

Howard Air Force Base was the headquarters for air operations of the U.S. Southern Command. This project consisted of the comprehensive rehabilitation of the runway, including concrete slab replacement, milling of existing surface course, asphalt resurfacing, installation of an electronic landing system storm drainage, and slurry seals.

Via a competition requiring the presentation of technical and price proposals, our company was selected by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to reconstruct the largest U.S. Air Force runway in Latin America. Calling upon extensive prior experience with the owner and engineers, the company completed this high priority project ahead of schedule while maintaining dailyy flight schedules thus earning the maximum performance bonus and the CORP OF ENGINEERS CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD.

Features:

  • Removal and replacement of 9,675 m2 of concrete runway apron pavement.
  • Milling of 90,000 m2 of old asphalt concrete runway pavement.
  • Installation of 90,000 m2 of new asphalt concrete runway pavement.
  • Slurry seal of 12,000 m2 of runway overruns.
  • Transverse grooving of entire runway, concrete and asphalt pavements (127,000 m2)
  • New runway lighting and ILS approach guidance system.