Grand Canyon Air Traffic Control Tower

In November 2000, the Federal Aviation Administration awarded Kiewit the $8.9 million best-value contract to replace the airport's 34-year-old traffic control tower. Completed one month ahead of schedule, the new control tower stands nearly 50 feet higher than the previous tower at a facility that handles more than 500 flights each day.

At an elevation of approximately 7,000 feet, the scope of work included constructing a new 120-foot-tall control tower, a 5,000-square-foot base building, and a 900-square-foot emergency generator building as well as a fuel containment area. The new tower houses upgraded technology and a state-of-the-art security system.

As one of the project's greatest challenges, tower erection included a shaft composed of 240 precast pieces weighing between 5,000 and 18,000 pounds, which were assembled using a 140-ton crawler crane. Following the completion of the tower shaft, the 22-ton, 700-square-foot structural steel prefabricated tower cab was assembled on the ground before two cranes were used to place the 22-foot-diameter cab atop the shaft.