Muskegon County approves $16.6 million contract to relocate Taxiway Alpha at county airport

The Muskegon County Transportation Committee on Feb. 13 approved awarding the contract for the Taxiway Alpha relocation and replacement project to the lowest responsible bidder named in the motion, M and M Estimation Company Incorporated, in the amount of $16,615,788 and authorized the board to sign related documents.

Airport Director Ken Huttin told the committee the work is a safety-critical project planned since 2020 to move Taxiway Alpha farther from the primary runway and replace pavement that is in poor condition. Huttin said the project corrects an alignment that dates to the 1960s and brings the facility into line with modern safety standards.

The project is funded through a Federal Aviation Administration grant, the director said, and the committee’s action accepts the lowest responsible bidder identified in the staff recommendation. Committee members were told four bids were received; the accepted bid was roughly $1.1 million below the engineer’s estimate, and staff said differences among bids were driven mainly by labor and whether bidders were prime earthmoving contractors or would subcontract the earthwork.

Huttin gave a March 1 start date contingent on the committee’s approval and an estimated completion in November. He said work will be performed in phases and that, at times, aircraft taxi routes will change; some nighttime closures of runways are possible but the project was planned to minimize disruption. He also said the FAA funding and other project financing were locked in.

Committee members asked about operational impacts. Huttin said reducing the taxiway pavement width from 75 feet to 50 feet was part of the design that matches the size of aircraft that typically use the airport; he warned that narrower taxiways make snow removal more difficult and require three-point turns for plows. He also said the county canceled the 2025 air show after the grant was approved and expects to resume in 2026.

The motion, introduced as agenda item TR25/202-09, was made by Chair Nash and supported by Commissioner Matt Wiggins; the committee carried the motion unanimously by recorded yes votes. Staff were authorized to sign the contract documents and move forward with project administration.