Twenty-five years ago in August, Ames began the Sky Harbor Airport North Runway Replacement project in Phoenix.
Although this was a yearlong project, Ames was required to perform the runway reconstruction in only 90 days—while keeping it open for air traffic.
Ames devised an aggressive schedule, dividing the construction into two phases and working on half of the runway in each phase. Planes were constantly flying directly over or landing in front of construction.
The only scheduled shutdown of the runway was at night when crews installed electrical and fiber optic communication duct banks. Ames would be subject to stiff penalties if the runway was not operational by morning. Despite an unusually wet winter that added to the challenging schedule, crews met the 6 a.m. deadline every day. Working around the clock, Ames completed this portion of the project 10 days ahead of schedule.
Following the reconstruction of the North Runway, Ames was awarded the contract to reconstruct the airport’s Center Runway.
