As a major teaming partner on a $30.5M airfield safety program, Dibble provided civil and vertical design, drainage analysis, utility relocations, and led construction phasing for new End-Around Taxiway F and supporting infrastructure at Tucson International Airport (TUS).

Completed in December 2023, the project addressed an FAA-designated Hot Spot along Taxiway D at Runway 11L‑29R while modernizing Arizona Air National Guard facilities on one of the region’s most operationally complex airfields.

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Challenge

Taxiway D’s geometry at Runway 11L‑29R created a documented hot spot with elevated runway incursion risk for commercial, military, and general aviation traffic sharing the airfield.

Any solution had to work around the Arizona Air National Guard’s F‑16 operations, active airline service, seasonal weather constraints, and a dense web of existing civil infrastructure and utilities—all without extended runway closures.

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Our Approach

Dibble served as a significant subconsultant to Jacobs, taking ownership of topographic survey, drainage analysis, utility relocations, and all vertical design for the project.

The team also led construction safety and phasing planning across seven phases and provided ongoing construction-phase support, including weekly coordination meetings, contractor inquiry response, and on-site presence when needed.

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Technical Solutions

• Design of new End-Around Taxiway F with supporting Taxiways A and D3 to bypass the Runway 11L‑29R hot spot and reduce runway incursion risk.
• Realignment of the Vehicle Service Road (VSR) across an existing apron, new taxilane, and unpaved infield to a new connection outside the end-around taxiway—requiring close coordination with FAA, airport operations, and tenants to maintain access outside the movement area.
• Rehabilitation and expansion of the Arizona Air National Guard F‑16 Arm/Dearm Apron, including relocation of civil infrastructure and utilities to accommodate the enlarged footprint.
• Installation of a new cable Barrier Arrestor Kit (BAK 12‑14) for crosswind Runway 3‑21.
• Comprehensive drainage analysis and grading design integrated across all taxiway, apron, and infield improvements.

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Value Delivered

• Seven-phase construction plan that accounted for seasonal weather patterns, minimized runway closures, and reduced impacts to the Air National Guard, airline tenants, and GA operators.
• Constant design-team presence during construction to resolve unforeseen field conditions quickly and cost-effectively, provide rapid turnaround on material submittals and RFIs, and collaborate with the contractor to minimize schedule delays.
• Improved airfield safety through elimination of a documented hot spot and modernized military and civilian infrastructure on a shared-use airfield—delivered to substantial completion in December 2023.

Project Lifecycle