Ft. Lauderdale Pavement Project to Create 100 Jobs

County allocates $5.7M in stimulus dollars to the project

Editor’s Note: This is the second installment in ACI-NA periodic feature spotlighting the impact of the federal stimulus program on airports. The program is creating jobs and funding crucial improvements to airports’ infrastructure.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) will benefit from the first portion of stimulus money received by Florida's Broward County.

The county received $5.7 million to replace 20-year-old pavement and ramps around the Concourses D, E and F to improve airline safety. The stimulus dollars will help keep airport costs down; without the aid, renovations would have been financed by fees charged to airlines, their passengers, and concessions at the airport.

Work began July 13 and is scheduled to be completed in November 2010. The project is expected to employ about 100 people at its height.

"This was needed and I don't know how soon it would have gotten done because of the runway and other necessary work," Aviation Director Kent George told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "We saw the opportunity for the stimulus money, and it was perfect because we could speed it up to get it done."

Broward County had to work overtime to get their share of the stimulus. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, projects had to be ready to proceed by mid-June to qualify for the $1.1 billion given out by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). County officials expedited the bidding process so the project would be shovel-ready in time to qualify for funds. County bids take an average of 200 days to complete, but County Purchasing Director Brenda Billingsley said her staff rushed the airport project through in just 60.

The pavement was in dire need of rehabilitation, said airport spokesman Gregory Meyer. "We were in the process of identifying a funding source. Stimulus funding came at a convenient time for the airport," he said, adding that the deteriorating pavement was a safety issue.

Nine companies bid for the project, with the winning bid submitted by a former Miami Dolphin Dwight Stephenson's construction company. D. Stephenson Construction's bid of $4.4 million was about $2 million less than the company expected to spend. The remaining money will help fund county oversight and construction testing work.

Both George and the project manager at D. Stephenson agreed that the current business climate is a major factor in the lower cost.

"Subcontractors are hungry and you are getting premium work at better prices," Traves Knowles of D. Stephenson told the newspaper.

Meyer said it's important to have a safe and secure area at the airport, and also to have a project that puts people back to work. "It's good for us and good for the community."