Proposed contract for Hilton Head Island Airport runway extension tops $10 million

With the pending approval of a series of contracts, the Hilton Head Island Airport is on its way to nearly $11.5 million in improvements.

The vast majority of that money would be used for the “long-awaited runway extension,” the county airports director Jon Rembold said earlier this week.

Both the Beaufort County Council’s Finance Committee and the county’s airports board have given their blessing to a nearly $10.4-million contract with Virginia-based Quality Enterprises USA to extend the 4,300-foot runway to 5,000 feet.

The extension is part of series of airport improvements — including drainage improvements, addition of new emergency landing features, and acquisition of property adjacent to the airport — established in the airport master plan approved in 2010.

Planes currently flying to Hilton Head Airport cannot fly at full capacity because of the short runway. Officials from Delta Air Lines — which announced it was discontinuing service to Hilton Head the same day the new master plan was approved — said in 2010 that a 5,000-foot runway could accommodate regional jets with restricted loads.

Another nearly $1.1-million contract with North Carolina-based firm Talbert, Bright & Ellington is currently making its way through the county’s approval process.

The company, which has worked with the county on design and engineering for the runway extension, would provide construction administration and quality control consulting services for the airport projects.

Federal and state grants would pay for 95 percent of the contracts, with the airport’s capital improvement fund picking up the rest of the tab, according to county documents.

While the Finance Committee recommended approval of the contracts — which the full County Council will consider in the coming weeks — there were some concerns raised by members of the board.

The concerns relate to the fact that Quality Enterprises USA was the only company to bid on the runway extension.

“It seems very strange” that no other companies would be interested in the project, Councilman Steve Fobes said.

Rembold said several other contractors participated in pre-bid meetings, but Quality Enterprises USA was the only company to follow through and submit a bid.

“Right now there is a lot of work available for contractors, so they aren’t as hungry to come after this job,” he said.

Rembold also said the large scope of work and relatively short construction deadline — about 9 months — may have scared off bidders.

This story was originally published November 11, 2016 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Proposed contract for Hilton Head Island Airport runway extension tops $10 million."