Runway work to improve safety, efficiency

JBER’s plan to extend Runway 16, the north-south air strip, was recently approved by the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.

The Environmental Impact Survey includes a proposed $150 million project to extend the 7,500-foot runway by 2,500 feet, and turn Runway 16 into JBER’s main arrival point.

While the project has several budgeting milestones to pass, some are already looking forward to a second 10,000-foot runway at JBER.

“The 2018 EIS concluded the new arrival and departure patterns associated with the runway extension will considerably reduce air traffic and the associated noise pollution over Mountain View and the Anchorage area,” said Air Force Col. Robert Davis, 3rd Wing commander.

Safety and efficiency are also expected to improve.

“We don’t expect the runway extension to increase the volume of traffic operating off JBER, but the runway extension will increase both air safety and efficiency of operations in and out of the Anchorage bowl,” Davis said. “A longer north-south runway will allow JBER to parallel the arrival flows Ted Stevens International Airport is using. This both reduces traffic conflicts, and eases

the workload on our military and Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers.”

Also, with JBER’s 24/7 national defense alert mission, daily cargo flights around the globe and several large-scale joint service and multi-national training exercises, this project increases JBER’s capabilities.

“This project enables JBER to meet emerging national security requirements,” Davis said. “As a wing, this increases the readiness and the lethality of our team. The runway extension also expands JBER’s capability as a strategic hub, allowing us a notable gain in operational flexibility.”

The new traffic flow will also allow departing aircraft to take off to the west, increasing training time by an estimated 9.3 percent, Davis added. “This translates into our aircraft and aircrews spending less time awaiting departure or arrival sequencing, and more time dedicated to their very complicated, high-end combat training missions.”

The budgeting process makes estimating timelines difficult, but base officials estimate a completion date as early as 2025 is possible.

“We’re still very early on with this project,” said Lt. Col. Vhance Valencia, 673d Civil Engineer Squadron commander. “It takes four to five years for a

project this large to get included in the president’s budget. After that, and given Alaska’s seasonal construction period, we’re estimating two to three years for the actual construction. So we anticipate, at the earliest, eight years for construction to be complete.”

The Army Corps of Engineers and 673d CES will both play crucial roles in this project’s success.

“The Army Corps of Engineers will be the design agent, and oversee the construction of the project,” said Venetia Ruehle, 673d CES chief of programming. “The 673d Civil Engineer Squadron’s role in the construction project is similar to the customer in a non-government construction project.”

The project includes paving, airfield lighting, and utility work.

JBER will work with the USACE and Environmental Protection Agency to minimize the impact on local wildlife and habitat.

“In 1935, U.S. Army Gen. Billy Mitchell said to Congress, ‘I believe that in the future, whoever holds Alaska will hold the world. I think it is the most important strategic place in the world,’” Davis quoted. “The effort to extend our runway is part of a larger project we’re calling ‘JBER 2025.’ The 2025 vision is intended to better position team JBER to meet emerging national security requirements, not only for the Indo-Pacific, but as a gateway to hotspots around the globe.”