Ports opens $3.7M Bravo runway at Ceiba regional airport
The Puerto Rico Ports Authority announced the opening of the Bravo taxiway at the José Aponte de la Torre de Ceiba Regional Airport, following an investment of more than $3.7 million in local and federal funds.
The Bravo taxiway is one of the main access points for aircraft from and to the runway during take-off and landing maneuvers, Ports Authority Executive Director Joel Pizá said, during a press conference at the Ceiba facility.
The agency carries out a pavement inspection program at all airports under its jurisdiction, according to the standards established by the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM ) International.
“The condition of the pavement at the Ceiba airport was evaluated and it was determined that it required attention,” Pizá said. “So Ports awarded a bid to meet these required condition and the contractor recently completed its construction.”
The project consisted of the milling of 15,000 square yards of a surface composed of asphalt and concrete, rehabilitating 15,000 square yards of the concrete base, depositing 5,500 tons of asphalt, setting pavement limits along 2,813 feet per FAA specifications, and stabilizating 7,500 square yards of pavement shoulders.
The financing of this project is broken down into several components:
- In 2018, the FAA granted $2.1 million for multiple pavement design projects, of which $354,425.60 was earmarked for this project. This grant required Ports to contribute 10% of the funds;
- In 2019, the FAA awarded $1.9 million, with the same required contribution from the local authority; and,
- In 2020, the FAA granted $1 million that it would cover in full.
So, that adds up to $3.4 million in federal investments and $336,673 of contributions from Ports’ coffers. The local agency is working with the FAA on amendments to the grants to cover some of the project’s overages, local government officials said.
