BIA officials plan repairs to aircraft parking apron

BANGOR – A portion of the area where pilots park their airplanes at Bangor International Airport is in such bad shape that it had to be closed earlier this year, but officials are working to repair the nearly 50-year-old section of pavement.

Other areas of the apron have been reconstructed over the years, but the section now due for paving next to the airport’s international terminal hasn’t been repaired since it was installed decades ago, airport Director Rebecca Hupp said Thursday.

“The pavement is deteriorated to the point where it’s unstable in portions,” she said.

Work on the project could begin as early as this month if the City Council accepts an offer from one of two companies that submitted bids, whose offers will first be reviewed by the Finance Committee on Monday, Aug. 15.

Opened on Wednesday, the bids were submitted by Lane Construction Corp. of Meriden, Conn., with a $2,088,767 bid, and Sargent & Sargent of Hampden, with a $2,374,745 bid.

Design firm Edwards and Kelcey of Morristown, N.J., has a $319,163 contract with the city to design and oversee the reconstruction.

The project will be fully funded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s passenger facility charge, according to Hupp, who said she hopes to see the project under way as soon as possible.

In 2003 BIA collaborated with the neighboring Maine Air National Guard base to repair another section of the parking apron, though the project now under way will be solely an airport operation, Hupp said.

Construction is expected to take about 90 days, and should not interfere with the airport’s routine operations, Hupp said.