$3.3M Higley ramp west reconstruction planned at Falcon Field

Reconstructing a paved ramp at Falcon Field Airport in Mesa will cost $3,320,343, with the majority paid with federal funds and $520,343 from the city’s airport enterprise fund.

Pavement is critical infrastructure for an airport and must be reconstructed when the pavement condition index indicates this type of work must be done, District 5 Councilor David Luna said.

“Ensuring that the pavements are in good condition is vital for safety reasons, and so airport tenants and users have a place to park their aircraft and a way to taxi to and from the main runways/taxiways system,” he said.

The Mesa City Council recently approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to enter into an airport improvement program grant agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration for the reconstruction.

“The pavement on the Higley ramp west needs replacement because of its age and the amount of use that it gets. Also, as a condition of receiving federal or state grant funds for capital improvement projects, the city must provide assurances that it will maintain the airport’s infrastructure in a safe and operational condition. The reconstruction of the West Higley ramp helps to ensure that these grant assurances are met,” Luna said.

Mesa benefits economically from having Falcon Field Airport and its surrounding businesses, he said.

“The airport is a major economic hub for the city. Arizona State University recently completed an economic benefit analysis of Falcon Field Airport as part of the airport’s master plan update. The study indicates that Falcon Field provides an annual economic benefit of $811 million to Mesa and the region. When the Boeing facility is included, the annual economic benefit is $6.8 billion,” Luna said, “In addition, the airport’s users and tenants provide essential services such as law enforcement, forest firefighting and medical transport, as well as flight training for commercial air carriers such as American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airlines. There are over 100 businesses located at the airport and over 1,400 people are employed at Falcon Field.”

The $520,343 portion of the cost coming from airport enterprise funds was generated at Falcon Field Airport, said Dee Anne Thomas, Mesa marketing/communications specialist.

“The Federal Aviation Administration requires that airport revenues be kept separate from other city revenue sources. For this reason, Falcon Field Airport is designated and operates as a separate enterprise fund within the city of Mesa budget. This means that the airport is financially self-sustaining and operates using only revenues collected from airport users, including airport ground leases, hangar and tie-down rents, and fuel flowage fees. Falcon Field Airport does not receive any tax revenues from the city of Mesa general fund,” she said.

The ramp to be constructed at Falcon Field is close to its eastern boundary — Higley Road.

“The area proposed for reconstruction under the Higley ramp west project is approximately three-quarters of the length of the Higley ramp, which is located in the central interior of the airport, south of the main — south — runway 4R/22L. Only a portion of the eastern end of the Higley ramp is visible from Higley Road because the view from the road is obstructed by multiple buildings. The ramp area proposed for reconstruction is largely not visible from Higley Road,” Thomas said.

The length of time before an aircraft ramp requires reconstruction depends on several factors, she said. They include:

• The material with which it is constructed — Falcon Field Airport ramps are asphalt;
• The amount of use the ramp receives — in addition to aircraft of different types and weights, vehicles such as aircraft fueling trucks also cause wear on aircraft ramps;
• The condition of the ramp.

“In addition to daily observations by airport staff, pavements at airports are evaluated based on the ‘pavement classification index.’ Pavement conditions at all public airports in Arizona are surveyed approximately every two years by the Arizona Department of Transportation using the PCI. The surveys help guide pavement maintenance and reconstruction projects,” Thomas said.

Routine maintenance of the Higley ramp has included crack sealing and seal coating approximately every five years, she said.

Higley ramp west originally was built in 2001, Airport Director Corinne Nystrom said in a memo to the council.

“The Arizona Department of Transportation evaluated the ramp pavement in May 2017. The evaluation concluded that the pavement is at the end of its service life and that routine maintenance is no longer a sufficient solution to protect the current pavement and extend its longevity,” she said.

Work includes the removal and replacement of the existing asphalt pavement and all aircraft tie-down locations, Nystrom said.

“It will include milling the top two inches of asphalt surface course, cleaning and sealing all cracks, and paving two inches of new asphalt surface course over the milled surface. This project will improve operational safety by eliminating surface cracks and asphaltic spalling. It will also reduce the possibility of damage to aircraft from potholes and displaced rocks and gravel,” she said.