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Construction projects peak curiosity

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  • By Brandice J. Armstrong
  • Tinker Air Force Base Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE --  Two Tinker construction sites have likely triggered curiosity and questions in the past few months. The Tinker Golf Course and Air Depot Boulevard intersection at Arnold Avenue, and Tinker's north fence along Southeast 29th Street are main areas of attraction as outside agencies install pipelines.
   Construction for the two projects began in July and June, respectively, and officials said they expect one to be finished in September, whereas the other will likely conclude by the end of the year.
   Spanning from the northeastern corner of the golf course southward to the intersection of Garden Plot Road and Air Depot Boulevard, officials said Kentucky-based Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline is replacing three-quarters of a mile of existing pipeline, which carries natural gas.
   "Southern Star has an easement for their pipeline that was in effect prior to Tinker acquiring the property, which allows for the operation and maintenance of the pipeline," said Kim Harris, real property officer in the 72nd Air Base Wing Civil Engineering Directorate. "Maintenance and replacement schedules for their pipelines are determined by Southern Star."
   Southern Star's pipelines extend more than 6,000 miles in the Midwest and mid-continent of the United States, according to the company's Web site.
   "Southern Star has been excellent to work with," Ms. Harris said. "They bored a tunnel underground spanning from Arnold Avenue to the north side of Interstate 40 and fed the 24-inch diameter pipeline through the bored tunnel to avoid digging up the golf course. It was impressive to see it going on."
   Ms. Harris said throughout construction, traffic delays were minimal.
   "There were only a couple of instances when they had to block off one lane of Arnold for 30 to 45 minutes to bring in or move out equipment," she said.
   Much of the construction has finished and Ms. Harris said the company is primarily in the cleaning-up process. Equipment should be moved out by the end of September.
   Along Tinker's north fence at Southeast 29th Street from one-quarter mile east of Sooner Road to Douglas Boulevard, Oklahoma City officials are installing a new sewer main. The sewer main, which is about two miles long, will actually extend east of Douglas Boulevard to support the growth anticipated by the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Technology Center.
   Although the sewer main won't immediately serve Tinker, installation officials can elect to use it in the future, Ms. Harris said.
   Waste is currently carried from the industrial waste water treatment plant under the runway westward toward Air Depot Boulevard where it connects to city-owned pipeline for disposal.
   The sewer main project is expected to conclude by the end of 2007.
   "The City of Oklahoma City proposed it would take 120 calendar days, but we've had a lot rain delays," Ms. Harris said. "Based on that estimate and weather delays, I would estimate another four months of construction."