Canyonlands Regional Airport became an Armstrong client in 1986. Since then, we have completed numerous AIP projects, a few of which are outlined below.
FAA Identifier: CNY
Airport Activation Date: August 1963
Elevation: 4590 ft.
Physical Address: 110 W. Aviation Way | Moab, UT 84532
Armstrong completed an Airport Master Plan update for this Utah airport in 2015. Canyonlands Regional is a publicly owned and operated commercial service airport in Grand County, Utah. The airport provides access to a variety of tourist attractions and serves as the gateway to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. The airport accommodates commercial air carrier service, scenic air tours, skydiving operations, based personal and business aircraft, and a high volume of transient aircraft ranging from small single-engine to large corporate jet aircraft.
Canyonlands is subsidized under the United States Department of Transportation’s Essential Air Service (EAS) program, meaning that it meets the criteria of at least 10 passenger enplanements per day with an average passenger subsidy of less than $200.
Canyonlands Regional is a commercial service airport that lost its commercial air carrier service due to regional airlines replacing twin turboprop fleet with regional jet aircraft, which could not be accommodated by the airport’s B-II primary runway. A focused master plan was conducted to identify the specific needs to upgrade Canyonlands Field to accommodate regional jets. We were able to utilize our expansive knowledge as their 20-year engineer of record to quickly develop a comprehensive plan. This project was completed within one year and immediately transitioned into a comprehensive Environmental Assessment and design to widen and strengthen Canyonlands Field’s runway to ensure reliable air service.
This project included the replacement of the existing taxiway lighting system on the parallel taxiway and associated connecting taxiways. The existing system was a direct buried, stake-mounted system that was plagued by frequent cable faults that posed safety risks to both taxiing aircraft and maintenance personnel. The replacement system consisted of a “can and duct” installation and incorporated LED light fixtures. Other upgrades were made including the lighting vault and other underground infrastructure to improve the system’s reliability and longevity.
The Canyonlands Regional pavement maintenance project consisted of four work schedules involving the reconstruction of the west apron and connecting Taxiway A3 and the removal and replacement of the east apron pavement surface. The project was divided into four schedules of work due to possible funding challenges. Armstrong’s engineering team provided design and construction support for the maintenance of asphalt and concrete pavements. The deteriorating pavements were removed and replaced.
Armstrong’s activities included the design and construction administration of:
This project included the construction of a new parking lot to provide parking for new Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) building being constructed at the same time and reconstruction of the vehicle access road at the main airport entrance. As part of the parking lot construction, new chain-link security fencing was installed around the parking lot, connected to the new ARFF building, and tied into the existing terminal area security fencing. The fencing work included the installation of an automated slide gate and an automated pedestrian gate with a magnetic strike. Access control was accomplished through the installation of digital keypads were installed on both the slide gate and pedestrian gate. The keypads were tied into a centralized access control system which allows unique PIN to be issued to authorized users. Detector loops were installed on the interior and exterior of the slide gate to allow for automated exit and safe gate closure. The parking lot construction and access road reconstruction included the demolition of existing asphalt access roads, site grading and drainage, construction of new crushed aggregate base and asphalt surface courses, and pavement markings.
Armstrong recently completed the first phase of construction on an ARC upgrade project at Canyonlands Regional in Moab, Utah. SkyWest Airlines was serving Moab, Utah with regular air service, utilizing the Brasilia EMB 120 aircraft. SkyWest retired the EMB 120 leaving Moab without air carrier services. In order to meet Moab’s booming tourism industry, and the need to accommodate jet air carrier service, Canyonlands Field was required to complete an upgrade to its Airport Reference Code (ARC) from B-II to C-II. As a result of the planned widening and strengthening of the runway, SkyWest has established a daily jet service to Denver, Colorado, starting May 2018.
Armstrong worked alongside CNY management to foster FAA, State, and local support for the multi-year multi-phase ARC Upgrade project. After support and funding was arranged, Armstrong conducted a full environmental assessment, including hosting town-hall meetings for public input. Due to the urgent need to establish jet service, the projects, including the Airport Master Plan, Environmental Assessment, and Design, were carried out in an expedited manner. This entire sequence of projects was completed in an unprecedented 2 ½ years, despite the airport’s location alongside two National Parks. The runway design was successfully completed under an accelerated time frame, enabling bidding to take place prior to the grant season closing and allowing construction to begin, as initially planned, in Moab’s slower tourist season. The project was awarded shortly after bidding and construction was started on January 2, 2018.
In addition to widening and strengthening the runway, the ARC upgrade project included regrading the RSA to meet the increased dimensional standards, reconstructing the connector taxiways, and installing a large 650-foot box culvert. The project also included a complete replacement of the runway lighting and navigational aid systems. The $12M first phase of construction was completed $600K under budget and the project was kept on schedule allowing the first commercial flight to take place, as scheduled, on May 1, 2018.
Canyonlands Regional Airport (CNY) recently underwent an Airport Reference Code update for Runway 3/21, upgrading the runway from a B-II to a C-II facility. This upgrade was primarily aimed at restoring commercial air service to CNY following SkyWest’s retirement of the EMB-120 Brasilia aircraft, which had previously provided service and was replaced with CRJ-200 aircraft in SkyWest’s fleet. While the runway and connector taxiways were widened and strengthened to accommodate the larger/heavier jet traffic, the existing parallel taxiway, Taxiway A, and commercial aircraft parking apron were not improved due to budgetary and construction period limitations. As such, upon commencement of commercial jet service at CNY, the existing pavements quickly began to deteriorate, at a rate much quicker than anticipated. While a future project to replace both pavement areas was programmed for CNY, the project was not scheduled to happen soon enough to address the rapid degradation of the existing pavements. When the FAA announced the availability of Supplemental AIP funding, Armstrong assisted the Sponsor in applying for the funds, which included close coordination with FAA staff so that they were fully aware of the situation at hand with the existing taxiway and apron. CNY was one of three airports in the state of Utah to receive funding in the second wave of supplemental AIP funding. The airport received $4.75M in supplemental AIP funding to address the issues on Taxiway A, and received a discretionary grant in the amount of $4.52M to reconstruct the commercial aircraft parking apron. This allowed the airport to bid and complete these projects together, resulting in a quicker and less expensive completion.
This project included the full-depth reconstruction of the existing asphalt pavement on Taxiway A, and the replacement of the existing asphalt pavement with concrete on the commercial aircraft parking apron. The project includes extensive phasing to allow for commercial and general aviation aircraft operations throughout the project, with any required runway closures happening at night between scheduled flights. The pavement geometry was altered to comply with current FAA design guidance for C-II sized aircraft, and miscellaneous project elements included safety area grading, stormwater grading and infrastructure, and subsurface drains. This project was complicated by the extremely weak subgrade conditions, which necessitated the use of geosynthetic stabilization fabric and additional subbase course thickness. The final total project cost was $9.3M, and the project was completed $454K underbudget. The project was completed in 117 calendar days, which was 2 days longer than anticipated; however, the Contractor was granted 2 additional contract days due to abnormal weather conditions, and no liquidated damages were assessed.
ACEC-UT
Reconstruct Taxiway A and
Commercial Aircraft Parking Apron
Engineering Excellence Award
Canyonlands Regional Airport
Moab, UT
