Dibble provided design phase services for the Commercial Apron Expansion and New Taxiway E project at Northern Colorado Regional Airport (FNL). The existing commercial apron had a single concrete pavement parking position and a single connector taxiway for access. This expansion was critical to the airport’s continued growth and operations, as commercial flights were scheduled to resume at FNL in late 2021 after a 5-year hiatus.

As a regional airport and one of the 14 commercial airports in Colorado, FNL plays a key role in the region as it offers an alternative to Denver International Airport for residents and visitors to Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, and other Northern Colorado communities. The airport is a gateway for tourists to the region’s historic downtowns, outdoor recreational activities including ski resorts and Rocky Mountain National Park, eclectic arts and entertainment opportunities, and craft beer industry. The airport supports approximately 100,000 flight operations annually with more than 300 based aircraft.

This project included design for an expansion of the existing commercial service apron – constructed of portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP) – to allow for an additional aircraft parking position. It also constructed a new access connector taxiway, Taxiway E, made of asphalt concrete (AC) pavement. The design included the rehabilitation of the PCCP joints in the existing parking position, as well as the removal and relocation of the existing deicing tanks and pipe infrastructure. There was an amendment to the contract that covered the relocation of the mobile air traffic control tower (MATCT). The team also provided construction administration services during construction.

This project won the 2022 Excellence in Concrete Pavement Award under the Reliever and General Aviation Airports category from the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) Colorado/Wyoming Chapter.

Project Lifecycle