Template revised January 10, 2019.

COMMISSION

AGENDA MEMORANDUM

Item No.

6i

ACTION ITEM

Date of Meeting

April 14, 2020

DATE: March 23, 2020

Amount of this request:

Total estimated project cost:

ACTION REQUESTED

Request Commission authorization for the Executive Director to advertise, award, and execute a

construction contract and authorize construction of the Remote Aircraft Deicing project at the

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Airport); and to enter into a reimbursable agreement with

the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for monitoring of critical FAA infrastructure within the

project area during construction. This request is for $14,555,000, of a total estimated project cost

in the amount of $17,700,000.

operations. The increased aircraft operations have created an aircraft gate deficiency and

resulted in significant departure delays when aircraft on-gate deicing occurs. The on-gate deicing

also requires arriving aircraft to hold for gates on the airfield, further congesting the movement

area and exacerbating delays. Based on input from the FAA Air Traffic Control Tower, aircraft

departures during deicing operations could increase significantly with the addition of the

proposed off-gate deicing positions that will be constructed on Taxiway A.

The Remote Aircraft Deicing CIP (C801035) is included in the 2020-2024 capital budget and plan

of finance. Following completion of pavement and utility design studies, the project cost estimate

was reduced from $24,300,000 to $17,700,000; a 27 percent budget decrease. The project scope

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

This project requires FAA approval for an Airport Layout Plan (ALP) change. A successful Safety

Risk Management Panel was conducted with the FAA for the ALP change and the corresponding

FAA approval letter is expected, no later than May 2020. Asking for Commission authorization

for construction prior to receiving this letter allows taxiway construction to be completed prior

to both the wet weather and the holiday peak travel seasons. Maintaining this schedule will also

allow the Remote Deicing positions to be operational for the 2020/2021 winter season.

JUSTIFICATION

Based on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics data, Alaska Airlines had 296 hours and Delta

Airlines had 392 hours of weather delays during the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 winter seasons

The construction of the two off-gate deicing positions will result in less aircraft holding for gates

on the airfield, or congesting the movement area, which will increase passenger level of service,

reduce the long-term airline operating cost, and support the long-term strategy of the Port’s

Century Agenda objective to “Be the greenest, and most energy efficient port in North America”

by reducing air pollutants and carbon emissions. In addition, less overall deicing fluid waste is

anticipated due to better spray accuracy and the higher efficiency of deicing on Taxiway A,

supporting the King County Waste Water Permit agenda of reducing industrial waste water.

Due to the rapid growth of aircraft operations, locations in the non-movement area that could

accommodate off-gate deicing are increasingly being utilized for other purposes such as

additional gates and new multi-use hardstand positions in the non-movement area for off-gate

deicing. If these projects received required approvals through the environmental review process,

they will take several years to implement. Interim solutions are needed now to alleviate the

growing delays experienced during deicing operations.

The project was presented at the Airline Airport Affairs Committee (AAAC) meeting in June 2019

and the Majority-In-Interest ballot was approved in November 2019.

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

During the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 deicing season, two narrow body deicing positions were

the delays caused by the on-gate deicing without incident. With the addition of two more off-

gate deicing positions provided by this project, an Operational Safety Assessment was conducted

with the FAA, Airlines, and Airport Operations, in July 2019, to identify hazards and document

mitigations to ensure safe airfield operations.

This project will be constructed in 2020 between mid-August and end of November to avoid the

peak travel months and minimize operational impacts. With the addition of the new Taxiway Y,

a Safety Risk Management Panel for the Airport Layout Plan change was conducted with the FAA,

Airlines, Airport Planning and Airport Operations, in February 2020, to identify and examine

construction phasing plan has been developed to minimize the impacts from construction to

airfield operations. In addition, a Construction Safety Risk Management Panel was conducted in

February 2020 with the FAA, Airlines, Airport Operations to identify safety hazards during

construction and documented mitigations to ensure safe airfield operations during construction.

As part of the project, there will be demolition of stormwater drainage pipes and installation of

new industrial waste system pipes adjacent to existing FAA duct banks. An agreement with the

FAA will be utilized to reimburse the FAA to monitor their critical infrastructure during

construction, if deemed necessary by the FAA.

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

Total Project

Pros:

Cons:

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS

cost of $24,300,000.