Michigan is moving runway, taxiway and utility work ahead of aircraft F-15EX and KC-46 arrivals, with construction planned through 2031
Michigan’s State Administrative Board approved a recommendation Sept. 1 to award Lansing, Mich.-based The Christman Co. a $140.9-million construction management contract for major airfield work at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, advancing a nearly $1-billion overhaul of the installation northeast of Detroit for new fighter and tanker aircraft.
The runway and taxiway work is one part of an estimated $985 million in construction planned through 2031 as the Harrison Township base prepares to replace its A-10 Thunderbolt II fighters with F-15EX Eagle II aircraft and its KC-135 Stratotankers with KC-46 Pegasus tankers. The first F-15EX units are expected in 2028, followed by the KC-46 units in 2030.
“This isn’t just new buildings,” Brig. Gen. Daniel J. Kramer II, assistant adjutant general and commander of the Michigan Air National Guard, said in a 127th Wing release. “We are also shifting the runway and installing new power and sewer lines. This is a full-scale modernization of Selfridge infrastructure.”
Read More
Mich. Dept. of Technology, Management & Budget —RFP, Construction Mgt. Services
Christman’s proposed contract covers modifications to the runway, taxiways and supporting infrastructure. Michigan’s request for proposals calls for about 1,100 linear ft of hardened overrun and a 200-ft blast pad to accommodate a northward shift of runway thresholds. Crews also will reconstruct runway shoulders, replace threshold and end lighting and signage, realign approach lighting, navigational aids and glide slope equipment and relocate the north perimeter road and fencing.
Taxiways A and B are to be extended north to the new overrun with portland cement concrete pavement, asphalt shoulders, edge lighting, signage and markings. Christman’s $140.94-million not-to-exceed contract includes preconstruction, construction, contingency, general conditions, bonds, insurance and the construction manager’s fee.
The RFP calls for construction documents to be completed in September, construction to start in March 2027 and Phase 1 to finish in December 2029. Michigan lawmakers approved $152 million in state general funds in May for the runway and taxiway upgrades.
Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, Michigan adjutant general and director of the state Dept. of Military and Veterans Affairs, said the appropriation would allow the state to hire a construction manager “so work can begin without delay.”
Looking for quick answers on construction and engineering topics?
Try Ask ENR, our new smart AI search tool. Ask ENR →
Mead & Hunt is the airfield designer and holds an $11.15-million professional services contract that includes construction administration and verification of contractor compliance with drawings, specifications and Unified Facilities Criteria.
Tetra Tech holds a $5.79-million contract for environmental work needed to advance the runway project, including completing the joint permit application and acquiring Phase 2 wetland mitigation credits.
New Aircraft Drive Base Rebuild
Federal plans extend the work beyond the airfield. The House version of fiscal 2027 federal defense authorization legislation provides $110 million for runway-encroachment mitigation, $28 million for the Taxiway Alpha extension and $24 million for Taxiway Bravo at Selfridge, additional F-15EX maintenance-complex phases and KC-46 squadron operations, aircrew training and support projects.
An F-15EX Eagle II, the fighter slated to replace Selfridge Air National Guard Base’s A-10 fleet, is among the new aircraft driving the base’s infrastructure overhaul.
Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force
Congress previously provided $10 million each in fiscal 2026 for design of the runway-encroachment work and F-15EX beddown.
Some fighter-related construction predates the F-15EX basing decision. Walsh Federal LLC won a $27.94-million firm-fixed-price contract in 2023 for a new hangar at Selfridge after seven bids were submitted. The 127th Wing later described it as a 41,900-sq-ft fighter maintenance hangar.
Other enabling work has moved beyond the base fence. Michigan and Macomb County broke ground Aug. 17 on relocation and reconstruction of William P. Rosso Highway between Interstate 94 and Jefferson Avenue. The project includes relocating the Irwin Drain, installing concrete box culverts and building a roundabout at Town Center Boulevard.
Shelby Township, Mich.-based Dan’s Excavating won the bid for the $27.8-million highway and drainage package. Moving the road and drainage infrastructure creates space for the airfield improvements while increasing separation between future flight operations and nearby residential areas.
RELATED
House Passes $1.15T Defense Bill With $28.6B for Military Construction
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said the county road department helped advance the work and called the runway extension “another investment in the future of Selfridge and our entire region.”
All work must be sequenced while Selfridge remains an operating military installation. The transition is a “complex, carefully sequenced effort,» said Brig. Gen. Leah Voelker, commander of the 127th Wing. “Every piece—construction, equipment, training and talent—must come together with precision.”
