4 groups advance to RFP round of Aguadilla airport runway construction project
The construction project of the Rafael Hernández International Airport in Aguadilla’s new $135 million Runway 8-26 continues moving forward with the recent selection of four qualified groups to participate in the Puerto Rico Ports Authority’s Request for Proposals (RFP) process, agency Executive Director Joel Pizá confirmed.
The agency will match $40 million of the project’s costs, following the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico’s approval.
Among the participating groups qualified for the RFP for the construction of the new runway are BQN Airport Partners Ferrovial/AECOM; Acciona/CIC/CSA Joint Venture; AECON/Stantec Joint Venture; and BQN Airport Partners (Del Valle/CH Caribe (Jacobs)).
These four groups were included in a group of seven firms that submitted their credentials to participate in the project in mid-2021, as News is my Business reported.
The four selected groups, out of the seven participants, got a favorable evaluation of the minimum necessary qualifications in the RFQ process. Each group was comprised of several specialists in the areas of construction, design, specialized airport pavement engineering and civil engineering sub-specialists, among others, to guarantee the quality of the work to be contracted.
By the end of this month, the firms will receive the RFP documents and it is estimated that the selected group will be announced by October and that, between December 2022 and January 2023, the corresponding contract will be formalized, and construction will start.
The project aims to provide a runway of enough length, strong pavement, and optimal conditions for the airlines and to existing and future operations at that regional airport.
The proposed project will consist of a new permanent 8-26 runway, 500 feet south of the centerline of the existing runway. The runway will be approximately 11,000 feet long by 150 feet wide with a Portland Cement Concrete or PCC pavement surface. The existing track will be converted to a parallel taxiway. Existing airport operations will remain operational during construction, agency officials said.
“Last June, Ports held an event to provide information to the aggregates industry — manufacturers and suppliers — on the substantial quantities, the Federal Aviation Administration’s standards, and specifications, as well as the challenges in production of these materials included in the project,” Pizá said. “Forty-three representatives of that industry participated in that event, which constitutes a success in this coordination.”
