California’s Oakland International Airport (OAK) has completed its $30m Taxiway Victor and Bravo Rehabilitation Project.

Oakland’s newly repaved taxiways will serve nearly all flight operations at the airport for the next ten to 15 years, providing critical access to the airport’s primary runway.

“The rehabilitation of Taxiways Bravo and Victor was an important undertaking for us because of just how essential these taxiways are,” said Bryant L Francis, director of aviation at the Port of Oakland, which operates the airport. “Virtually all flights that depart or arrive at OAK will touch Taxiways Victor or Bravo at some point during their time on the ground. FAA grant funding was essential for us to maintain and improve this crucial thoroughfare of the airport.”

The project was partially funded by three grants from the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The first two grants, totalling approximately $14m, were received in 2020. The third, of nearly $12.3m, was received in 2021, bringing the total federal investment to almost $26.3m.

The Taxiway Victor and Taxiway Bravo Rehabilitation Project included an asphalt-concrete overlay and lighting infrastructure upgrades for the taxiways. The construction site spanned more than 50 acres in one of the most utilised and operationally critical areas of the airfield. Eight separate taxiway intersections were affected. The project had implications for almost all operations, as these taxiways provide critical access to OAK’s primary runway, which is used by general aviation, passenger, cargo, and military operations.

The Port’s values of promoting small, local, and diverse businesses with local workforce can be seen throughout the project. The primary construction contractor was a local business, as was the primary trucking company. Several local Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) were also involved. Approximately 62% of hours worked on the rehabilitation were undertaken by local resident workers.

What’s next

Currently underway at OAK is the Taxiway Tango Rehabilitation Project, with an estimated total cost of $15.9m. Like Taxiways Bravo and Victor, Tango is operationally critical to the airport, as it is the only taxiway connecting the primary passenger terminal buildings to the primary runway in the airport’s south field. Ongoing work includes taxiway geometry upgrades, pavement rehabilitation, airfield grading, drainage improvements, new airfield lighting, signage improvements, utility structure upgrades, and pavement markings. Construction began in August 2022 and will be largely complete by November 2022. A combined $11.2m in FAA grants has been awarded for OAK’s Taxiway Tango Rehabilitation Project using AIP and AIG (FAA Airport Improvement Grant) funding.

Looking ahead, the Port of Oakland will continue its partnership with the FAA on completing airfield geometry and safety improvements, as well as rehabilitating critical airfield pavements and infrastructure. Projects on the horizon include the pavement and lighting rehabilitation of Taxiway Whiskey and design efforts for rehabilitation of Runways 10R-28L and 10L-28R.

Image: Port of Oakland