Public Works Director and City Engineer Ron Kroop examines cracks in the runway.
Halliburton Airfield in Duncan received a lot of attention during 2015.
Not only are major improvements at Duncan’s runway underway, but also a pilot training program from Sheppard Air Force Base has found a temporary home here in Duncan.
In July 2015, representatives from Sheppard Air Force Base approached Duncan’s Airport Commission for permission to use Duncan’s airfield for touch-and-go flight practice for soon-to-be pilots.
For more than 20 years, Sheppard Air Force Base conducted its T-6 training and other types of flight training at Hacker, an auxiliary field located in Frederick, about 70 miles west of Duncan.
After copious amounts of precipitation in May 2015, the rainiest month on record for the region, Turner said subsequential runway infrastructure damages were found at the airfield, rendering the flight zone useless for Sheppard Air Force Base.
Duncan’s Airport Commission and Duncan’s City Council approved the measure and allowed Sheppard to use the field for training.
However, as two projects started in December, Sheppard pulled their training from Duncan back to homebase until project completion.
These projects include pavement rehabilitation and runway lighting upgrades, which are proceeding simultaneously though on two separate contracts, according to Public Works Director Ron Kroop.
Pavement Conservation Specialists Inc., of Tulsa, serves as the contractor for the rehab project totaling $534,071 with design and inspection. While then number seems pricey, Duncan will only pay out $26,388, or 5 percent for the project, because Oklahoma’s Aeronautic Commission is paying for 67 percent of the project while the Federal Aviation Administration picks up the remaining 28 percent.
The runway lighting upgrade totals $351,606 with design and inspection.
“The new lights and fixtures will be LED which will be brighter and use less energy,” Kroop said of the project contracted under Williams Electric LLC of Oklahoma City.
Once again, City of Duncan will share costs with FAA and only see 10 percent, or $35,161, come out of its pocket.
Story and photos: http://www.duncanbanner.com
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