RECOMMENDATION:

Enact an ordinance approving and authorizing Amendment No. 1 to the Professional Engineering Services Contract with Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. for the Redesign of Non-Standard Runway/Taxiway Areas at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) and appropriating $2,136,256.00 from the HAS Airports Improvement Fund. (Project No. 770)

 

SPECIFIC EXPLANATION:

On January 16, 2019, City Council enacted Ordinance 2019-27 authorizing a Professional Engineering Services Contract with Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. to redesign the northwest section of HOU runway/taxiway areas and appropriating $1,474,897.00. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requested the redesign to achieve Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 139 compliance on the non-standard runways/taxiways to accommodate expected traffic levels and a variety of aircrafts for the next 30 years of service. The FAA was focused on correcting as many incursion nodes, or “hot spots,” as possible, including the demolition of decommissioned Runway 17-35 which was not included in the original design contract.

 

On February 25, 2019, a notice to proceed (NTP) was issued to Jacobs for Phase I – Preliminary Design Services for the re-alignment of the non-standard taxiways. Field work was performed, and two preliminary drawings were proposed by Jacobs to identify the overall areas to be designed.

 

On April 4, 2019, after meeting with the FAA, HAS management directed revisions to the original scope from a single defined design option for re-alignment of the non-standard taxiways to scope that included the following:

 

• The development of multiple design alternatives for the “hot spots” mitigation;
• Design-bid-build package for the complete removal of Runway 17-35 based on the FAA safety initiative, the Runway Incursion Mitigation program. (On April 28, 2021, City Council enacted Ordinance 2021-0302 awarding the demolition of Runway 17-35 to SpawGlass Civil Construction Inc. (Project No. 770B).);
• Construction and relocation of Taxiway E;
• Inclusion of a required Environmental Assessment (EA) and additional survey due to the inclusion of the runway demolition;
• The relocation of the Million Air fuel farm currently located within the Runway Protection Zone (RPZ) and impacted by the re-alignment of the Vehicle Service Road (VSR) as part of the taxiway re-alignments;
• Inclusion of additional Contract Administration services based on an estimated 18-month construction duration for the taxiway re-alignment and fuel farm relocation project;
•  Providing 30% bridging documents for the design of the non-standard taxiways.

 

It is now requested that City Council approve Amendment No. 1 to the Professional Design Services Contract with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., revising the scope to include guidance from the FAA, and authorize an additional appropriation of $2,136,256.00 to address the remaining design costs per the revised scope of services.