The owner hoped that construction would be completed within 24 months to meet an FAA deadline for upgrading air traffic control procedures. To the Airport’s delight, O&G Industries turned the tower over to them on May 1, 1998, just 17 months from the October 1996 start date.
The project consisted of two buildings – The Tracon Building, which housed the radar facility and has the capability to control air traffic via radar within a 60-mile radius, and a 180′ control tower that controls air traffic once visual contact is made. The tower construction was a structural precast that was post-tensioned to a foundation 40’x40’x4′ set atop 72 H piles, approximately 80′-100′ deep.
The site had a very high water table, making for intricate dewatering schemes. Over 32,000 cubic yards of material were moved within the site, and 50,000 lineal feet of conduit, encased in concrete, formed the communication duct bank to the airport.
