Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast awarded a $36 million firm-fixed-price task order under a multiple award construction contract, June 30, to RQ Construction, LLC, from Carlsbad, California, for entrance road and gate complex located at Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB), Louisiana.
Barksdale AFB currently has three entrances to the base. The three existing entry points are concentrated around the Main Base core area but do not provide adequate access to the East Reservation, which includes housing and recreational facilities, and over 9,000 acres available for development.
“The new Gate construction will allow the gate to get out of the runway clear zone, provide access to the East Reservation, and to more efficiently handle high volumes of traffic,” said Resident Officer in Charge of Construction (ROICC) Lt. Kevin Dorian.
The work to be performed provides for the design and construction of a new entrance road and an Entry Control Facility (ECF) that provides a point of entry for personnel, visitors and deliveries to Barksdale AFB.
“An existing Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development project is extending the interstate highway up to the installation boundary,” said Dorian. “The MILCON project will continue this route onto Barksdale AFB and connect with the existing Range Road while providing required ECF and roadway improvements.”
The ECF will be located on the north side of the base and will connect with the new state highway at a terminus point just south of Kansas City Southern Railway Company right-of-way.
The contract contains two unexercised options, which if exercised, would increase the cumulative task order value to $36.9 million. Work will be performed in Barksdale, Louisiana, and is expected to be completed by December 2025.