MACTEC PLAYING PIVOTAL ROLE IN AIRPORT RUNWAY PROJECT

Geotechnical and Materials Testing Services Are Addressing Safety, Budgeting, Scheduling, and Service Life at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport

CHARLOTTE, NC, Oct. 9, 2007 – MACTEC Engineering and Consulting (MACTEC E&C) has been retained by the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CDIA) to provide geotechnical and materials testing services during the construction of the new third parallel runway. Bruce C. Coles, president of MACTEC E&C and chairman and CEO of MACTEC Inc., the holding company (www.mactec.com), made the announcement.

Project fees are anticipated to be $1.6 million. Total runway project costs will be $43 million; construction is ongoing and is expected to be completed by April 2009.

CDIA, established in 1936, is the nation’s 10th busiest facility, servicing over 30 million passengers annually with more than 600 daily departures to over 120 destinations worldwide.

According to MACTEC vice president and Carolinas area manager Scott Anderson, the firm’s method of systematically testing construction materials for the runway project ensures that materials being used by the contractor match quality specifications. From the standpoint of safety, budget, schedule, and future service life, materials testing will be a key factor in the project’s success.

Anderson said the runway will be 9,000 feet long and 150 feet wide, and is to be located to the west of the existing runways; the project consists of constructing a grassed safety zone at both ends of the runway, and potentially an intermodal facility. A rail line is also proposed that will connect the intermodal facility with existing rail lines north of CDIA. The rail line will tunnel under the connector taxiways.

“We have worked on numerous CDIA projects since the 1970s and are very familiar with FAA requirements,” Anderson said. “We also understand the challenges associated with the project.”

Anderson added that the analysis will benefit the project due to the sizable earthwork (nine million cubic yards of fill) required. Taxiway areas will be the primary areas of new fill. Cut areas will be situated along the proposed rail line, the intermodal facility, and the connector taxiways.