Putnam County Regional Airport receives engineering award

Receiving an award for engineering excellence at the Putnam County Regional Airport are (from left) Larry Kirsch, BF&S; Jason Clearwaters, BF&S; Duane Skoog, Airport Authority president; Vern Bothwell, Airport Authority vice president; Rex Eaton, Airport Authority Treasurer, and Paul Shaffer, BF&S. (Courtesy photo)

INDIANAPOLIS --­ The recently completed Putnam County Regional Airport Runway 18-36 Vertical Curve Correction and Overlay project recently received a State Finalist Award for engineering excellence from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) in Indiana.

ACEC Indiana acknowledges engineering projects demonstrating a high degree of merit and integrity each year. Butler, Fairman & Seufert (BF&S), the consulting engineering firm for the project, submitted the project on behalf of the Airport due to the innovative design and project successes.

This project at the Putnam County Regional Airport required years of planning but was constructed in the fast-paced environment required for airports. The primary objective of the project was to remove a hump in the runway that obstructed pilot's line-of-sight, a major safety issue.

While the airport's only runway was restricted many other items were also addressed. More than 1,200 feet of taxiway was reconstructed to the correct runway-taxiway separation, new LED runway lights and taxiway lights were installed, repairs were made to a portion of security fencing and approximately 2,000 feet of storm sewer was installed to improve drainage.

The aircraft parking apron was expanded and a large ravine area was filled to allow future development.

BF&S, with more than 50 years of experience, employs approximately 150 civil engineers, land surveyors, construction inspectors, environmental scientists and other technical professionals. The firm is headquartered in Indianapolis with offices throughout Indiana in Lafayette, Fort Wayne, Plainfield and Merrillville as well as Louisville.