Located near the college town of Manhattan, Kan., and Milford Lake, Fort Riley sprawls across 150 sq. mi. and is home to the Army's historic First Infantry Division, nicknamed The Big Red One.
The base is a premier training site for the Army and is home to soldiers and families, supporting thriving communities that surround the post. Fort Riley hosts about 15,000 active-duty service members and more than 18,000 family members. Some 35,000 veterans, retirees and civilian employees use base facilities.
The Attack Aviation Battalion Complex recently embarked on construction projects to house and maintain helicopters, including the AH-64 Apache, considered the premier attack helicopters in the world. The base also hosts two types of heavy-lift helicopters: the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
The Kansas City District, United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), is leading the construction project to build a new hangar, a two-story administration facility and runway upgrades. Nate McCarn, senior construction control representative of the district, is part of the team overseeing the work. The project is expected to cost around $83 million, but other modifications could be added as the work proceeds.
"Fort Riley is one of the Army's larger installations and this work will help maintain combat readiness," McCarn told Construction Equipment Guide. "This will be a completely new hangar, so we will be bringing in all of the utilities as well, including sewer, electricity and communications."
The structure will house four helicopters and a crane. The new two-story administration building is attached to the hangar, and a 220-space parking lot is being built for the employees. Workers also will build new concrete aprons to tie into the runway where the helicopters will be parked outside.
"The foundation walls are completed, and the first story of the administration building is being built," said McCarn. "The exterior walls are concrete masonry units with a split-faced façade. Other sections of the buildings will have a metal exterior."
Designers of the facility have protection against the high winds and tornadoes that this part of the country is known for. A 7-ft.-tall security fence keeps construction vehicles and workers away from the airfield. Dumpsters and trucks carrying material are secured to prevent foreign object debris from trickling onto the runway and getting sucked up into helicopter engines.
Workers have built two underground stormwater retention basins, one underneath the parking lot and another in the base's greenspace. These basins will collect water runoff from the hardscapes.
"We are building the parking lot and runway areas with six feet of rock as the subbase and a nine inch pavement with the standard airfield mix," said McCarn. "We should be finished by August 2026; however, additional modifications may be added to the work."
USACE has used traditional construction equipment for the project, including bulldozers, excavators, wheel loaders, paving machines and rollers. In the design phase, engineers used building information modeling systems to create 3D models for greater accuracy and speed in planning, design and construction.
McCarn believes that when finished this project will promote the Army's readiness.
"It has been a while since any new facilities of this type have been constructed," McCarn said. "It will add storage and support facilities for the base. The construction will expand the Army's ability to maintain its rotary aircraft." CEG
