Southwest Concrete Paving Company (SWCP) is currently working on two projects at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Repair Taxiway Papa and P-201 Parking Apron. Pictured above is the construction of the new P-201 parking apron, with the existing F-35 parking structures in the background and the new hangar building visible on the left.
Repair Taxiway Papa Project: SWCP is the prime contractor on the MCAS Miramar project, Repair Taxiway Papa, which includes the full-depth replacement of an existing taxiway and associated intersections.
An F-35 is seen on approach to the airfield, behind SWCP’s RexCon batch plant.
Taxiway Papa is being constructed with approximately 11,000 cubic yards of Cement-Treated Base (CTB) and 11,000 cubic yards of Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP).
One challenge that the team had to deal with on the Taxiway Papa Project was an asbestos-laden duct bank. The schedule did not allow enough time for removal so sublayers had to be built around the duct bank, encasing it within the new construction. Contaminated soil issues, common to airfield work, required testing and removal. And tight schedule coordination was maintained on a daily basis to enable work to proceed smoothly while crossing active air operations.
The total contract values is $15,120,000, with the combined PCCP/CTB paving portion at $6 million, and the sole PCCP paving portion at $4.75 million. Work on the project initiated on July 10, 2024 and is slated to complete on May 20, 2025.
The SWCP crew applies burlap drag texture to the new parking apron, with the F-35 aircraft parking enclosures looming eerily in the background.
The P-201 Parking Apron Project
The second project, P-201 Parking Apron, has SWCP working as the paving subcontractor, installing CTB and PCCP for a new parking apron for the base’s new F-35 hangar building, which is concurrently under construction.
Equipment used to place the CTB includes a CAT 160 and M43 blade for laydown and cut, and CAT 12-ton and HAMM 10-ton rollers.
For the P-201 Apron Project, 33,000 cubic yards of CTB and 29,000 cubic yards of PCCP are going in. The Apron Project work began in November 2024 and is slated to complete in August 2025, the month before the base’s annual airshow. The value of the paving subcontract is $16 million.
The Gomaco GP4 delivers greater efficiency thanks to its expanded paving width.
Materials delivery delays caused by the California wildfires had to be dealt with during the first phase of the project, as well as a shortage of the sand to be used in the mix design.
SWCP crews work through the night on Taxiway Papa pavement to meet the tight, first-phase completion deadline of August, the month before the base’s annual air show
Serving both projects are SWCP’s RexCon (Astec) Model SE batch plant, their Gomaco GP4 (four-track) and GP-26 (two-track) pavers, Gomaco RTP 500 Placer, and Gomaco TC 600 Texture and Cure machine. Grade control is being done with a Leica Total Station.
The SWCP crew installs control joints on Taxiway Papa.
The SWCP crew on both jobs includes Project Manager Ben McClurg, Paving Superintendent Luis Sandoval, Batch Plant Manager Joaquin Carrillo, Sawcutting Manager Nick Edwards, Quality Control Manager Jay Reinhardt, and Site Surveyor Tyler Mosley. Working solely on the Taxiway Papa Project are Project Superintendent & Safety Manager Doyle Quinn, and Quality Control Manager Ajmal Jalali.
Big thanks and a tip of the hard hat go out to SWCP Operations Manager Dave Rath for all of the photos and all of his help with this article.