Representative Project: Adak Upgrades

Client: Federal Aviation Administration, Alaska Region

Project Objectives
From May through September, 2005, Bristol Construction Services upgraded several FAA facilities located on remote Adak Island, Alaska (1,400 miles SW of Anchorage) for this multi-phase design-build project, saving the FAA an estimated $200,000 in construction costs.

Primary objectives for the project were:
• Optimize air-to-ground and ground-to-ground communications coverage for the site.
• Perform needed maintenance on two radomes housing satellite communications (SACOM) equipment.
• Upgrade the site’s environmental remote monitoring and uninterruptible power supply systems.

The upgrades were completed in three phases. During Phase I, FAA, Bristol and subcontractor personnel visited the Adak site to observe existing conditions and discuss needed upgrades. In Phase 2, BCS provided designs, a construction cost estimate and a schedule for completing upgrades. Phase three involved implenting the upgrades.

Bristol Construction Services improved upon the FAA’s original plan, which had been to move and refurbish a 40-foot tower from Yakutat for use in Adak. Alternatively, BCS recommended installing new telescoping antenna masts to support UHF and VHF antennas in each of the two SACOM radomes.

Bristol Construction’s approach:
• Improved site safety for maintenance activities by eliminating the need for workers to climb to perform routine tasks.
• Avoided further crowding the site with an extensive tower foundation.
• Saved the FAA an estimated $200,000 in construction costs.

The FAA accepted these recommendations in early July 2005 and tasked Bristol with providing designs for radio frequency and power cabling, trenching, cabinets, surge suppressor installation, grounding, SACOM radome penetrations and telescoping antenna mast installation. BCS and subcontractors participated in two design charettes with the FAA during July in order to fast-track the design review and acceptance. The notice-to-proceed came in mid-August 2005.

Because fall weather in the Aleutians is notoriously poor and can drive up construction costs, BCS planned the construction schedule around a completion date of no later than September 30, 2005.

Adak is only accessible by water or air. Bristol Construction charted a Hercules C-130 cargo plane to deliver 43,000 pounds of materials and construction support equipment to Adak September on September 5. A seven-person field crew worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week — performing work inside on days when weather was poor — and essentially completed all upgrades by September 28.

Joint Acceptance Inspections held on the emergency generator fuel supply and SACOM upgrades found no major exceptions to the work. The crew completed demobilization activities and departed Adak on September 29. Throughout fieldwork, FAA personnel in Anchorage and on Adak Island worked closely with BCS to answer questions and provide technical guidance— a close working relationship that was instrumental to completing the project on schedule.