The Spokane Airport Board has awarded Spokane-based L&L Cargile Inc. a $6 million contract for taxi lane and taxiway improvements at Felts Field.

Larry Cargile, who co-owns L&L Cargile with his brother Lonnie, says the project will mostly be a re-paving of some of the current taxi lanes and taxiways.

Construction is scheduled to start shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration releases anticipated grant money for the project, which is expected to be at the end of August, says Lisa Corcoran, a project manager in the planning and engineering department at Spokane International Airport. 

The airport board also has authorized a little more than $600,000 for construction contingencies. The board is responsible for the oversight of Spokane International Airport, Felts Field, and the Airport Business Park near SIA. Corcoran says three of Felts Field’s six taxiways will be repaved.

Taxiways connect runways with ramps, hangars, terminals, and other facilities. Taxi lanes are portions of the aircraft parking area used for access between taxiways and aircraft parking positions. Felts Field has two runways, but the FAA grant won’t cover improvements to them, Corcoran says.

Lonnie Cargile says he expects construction crews to begin work on the project by early September.

“The majority of this project—probably about 70 percent—is going to be completed in 2016,” Cargile says. “It will take up most of our construction season starting in April 2016 and ending in October the same year. It will pretty much have our full attention.”

Excluding subcontracting help, Cargile says he expects to have 10 to 12 of his company’s employees working daily on the Felts Field project. Cargile, who co-owns the company with his brother, Larry, says the company has a total of 15 employees.

Felts Field encompasses 400 acres. Felts Field handled nearly 55,000 flights last year, up about 500 from a year earlier, says the Spokane International Airport website. The site says Felts Field is home to more than 250 aircraft and 68 tenants.