Challenge
First constructed in 1928, MCAS Yuma was the training station for virtually every Marine Corps fixed wing squadron that participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Located two miles from Yuma, Arizona, the base shares facilities with Yuma International Airport and occupies 3,000 acres of flat desert wilderness. The main runway is 13,300 feet and contains enough concrete for 37-miles of two-lane highway. It is currently the busiest Marine air station, offering excellent year-round flying weather and thousands of acres of open terrain for air-to-ground weapons training.
CSI was awarded the contract to design and build a 6,200-foot long, 50-foot wide concrete paved tow way with 15-foot shoulders alongside the existing taxiway G. The tow way is used to move planes from the Combat Aircraft Loading Apron to maintenance hangars.
The design phase of the project required significant analysis of the desert area’s 100-year flood average, where monsoonal rains often cause flash flooding. Also of concern was the availability of land in which to place the tow way. Lastly, the project required close coordination with the Yuma Irrigation District in order to complete the realignment of existing irrigation canals.