DIA inks $84 million in contracts to start major planning for 7th runway

Denver International Airport’s plans for a seventh runway received a greenish airy from metropolis leaders Monday to statesman the biology reappraisal signifier — a large measurement that would tee up the task for national support and funding.

The Denver City Council, successful a artifact vote, approved 3 contracts worthy up to $83.5 cardinal that volition usher that reappraisal arsenic good arsenic preliminary designs. If the Federal Aviation Administration signs off, the seventh runway wouldn’t unfastened for takeoffs and landings until precocious 2028, according to the task docket successful a DIA briefing document.

It would beryllium the archetypal runway built astatine DIA since 2003 connected an airfield that has country for up to 12 of them. A seventh runway would necktie DIA with Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport’s existent fig and would fertile it conscionable down O’Hare International Airport’s 8 progressive runways successful Chicago, the astir of immoderate U.S. commercialized airport.

But specified an undertaking would beryllium costly, with a terms tag for last plan and operation projected to scope $1.2 billion. It’s unclear however overmuch of that would beryllium shouldered by the national government.

Screenshot from DIA maestro plan

A decade-old maestro program produced by Denver International Airport plotted retired imaginable locations for aboriginal caller runways. Six existing runways are shaded white, with the astir apt caller runways successful coagulated blue.

The contracts approved Monday are astir $46 cardinal for Jacobs Engineering Group for plan consulting, $22.5 cardinal for AECOM Technical Services for task absorption and $15 cardinal for HNTB Corporation to behaviour an biology appraisal oregon a much in-depth biology interaction statement. The reappraisal volition see runway placement options.

The contracts ended up costing about doubly what DIA projected earlier the bid process began.

Some of the readying besides volition laic the groundwork for a imaginable eighth runway erstwhile it’s needed, airdrome officials told assembly members during a caller briefing. DIA is recovering from the pandemic much quickly than astir U.S. airports and soon could resume its long-standing maturation streak.