Coordinating and sequencing with the THF contractor at the apron was challenging because of built-in competing interests for laydown area and access to the work, Watson adds.
CMC Inc. of NM, based in Albuquerque, is responsible for the internal roads at Spaceport America, including excavation, earthwork, drainage, erosion control, culverts, cement-treated subgrade, riprap and grading.
CMC’s scope included relocating a county road to create an entrance road into the spaceport, which required placing a large concrete box structure in the Aleman Draw and directing the county road around the end of the new runway to reconnect with the county road system.
In addition, the company built the connecting roads for the support facilities, the Terminal Hangar Road and parking lots for the project.
“The main challenge has been trying to start, gain momentum and finish our work in any given area, without obstacles derailing our work plans,” says company spokesman Randy Gilbert. Power poles, archeological sites, water lines, scope changes, inclement weather, grades and drainage are among the other issues the team encountered.
“We are now in a position to pick up momentum with the paving to put the finishing touches on our portion of the project to help make it a ‘wonder of the world in the making,’” Gilbert adds.
Virgin Galactic’s commercial space launch system will avoid the need for large, expensive ground-based rockets. The company says the fuel isn’t as toxic, and less will be consumed each flight since descent and landing will be unpowered.
On Oct. 10, Virgin Galactic completed the first piloted free flight of its passenger-carrying space vehicle, SpaceShipTwo. It was carried to 45,000 ft by the mothership, WhiteKnightTwo, and then air-launched to glide back to Earth.
According to Virgin Galactic, the carbon footprint of the average space tourist is expected to be less than a one-way flight from London to New York.
Key Players
Owner: New Mexico Spaceport Authority
THF Design: URS Corp./Foster+Partners; SMPC Architects
Infrastructure Design: AECOM
Other Design: Molzen Corbin Associates; Tetra Tech; BHI; Dekker/Perich/Sabatini; HDR; Engineering System Solutions
Construction Manager: Gerald A. Martin, Ltd.
General Contractor: David Montoya; Summit West; FNF: AUI; CMC of NM; Smithco; Bateman-Hall; McDade Woodcock
Subcontractors: Phaze Concrete; Hirschfeld Steel; Enoch Mechanical; Bowers Electric; La Calerita Construction; Romero Excavating; Zia Concrete; CMC Construction Materials
Useful Sources
Visit www.spaceportamerica.com for additional images and video.
