Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport Runway Projects
Since 2010, the Bozeman, Montana, area has steadily grown by 16.75%, while the number of airport passengers at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) has increased by 40%, exceeding the 1.1-million mark. To accommodate growth and increased aircraft traffic, Morrison-Maierle assisted the Gallatin Airport Authority on the planning, funding, and construction of a much-needed capacity improvements that resulted in a new runway, 11-29, followed immediately by the resurfacing of the main runway, 12-30.
Runway projects are complex enough by themselves, but these projects also included a major onsite testing issue that not only saved the client $2.5 million, but now sits as a new standard for future runway design protocol in Montana.
Morrison-Maierle was contracted to conduct master planning efforts to review, forecast, and project necessary improvements for the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. They also conducted an Environmental Assessment for the parallel Runway 11-29. After completion of the Environmental Assessment and a finding of “No Significant Impact” from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Gallatin Airport Authority contracted with Morrison-Maierle for the preliminary and final design engineering, plans, and specifications for the proposed parallel Runway 11-29 and associated lighting, striping, signage, and drainage improvements. Also included in the contract were bidding, construction observation, and contract grant management.
Additionally, the design team came up with a sustainable lighting solution that will save money, time and resources on future expansion projects. The construction schedule was also unique as it moved from eight-hour to five-hour shifts to avoid interrupting the airport’s busy flight schedule and avoid losing $1 million a day in flight revenues.
The construction of parallel Runway 11-29, followed by the round-the-clock 12-30 resurfacing project, marks the only capacity-related improvement to Montana’s air service in three decades. The runway addition not only improves the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport’s ability to provide quality air-service, but also greatly improves the experience and safety of the traveling public and private aviators using the airport.
