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Hickam breaks ground on new ramp control tower

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jerome S. Tayborn
  • 15th Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  15th Operations Group and 647th Air Base Group military leaders and contractors all gathered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, March 15 for a groundbreaking ceremony, which marked the beginning of construction for a new ramp control tower here.

The ceremony included a special blessing from Kahu Kordell Kekoa, the Pastor of Bishop Memorial Church, who performed a traditional Hawaiian blessing at the construction site.

The new ramp control tower, with a programmed cost of $7.4 million, will replace an existing structure built in 1952 and enhance Hickam's air traffic controller abilities.

When complete, the 138.5 foot tower will provide Hickam's air traffic controllers with increased visibility, space for a control tower simulator to enhance training, increased security, office space for administrative functions, and enhanced environmental controls.

This new addition will benefit all visiting military and civilian aircraft to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

"This new state of the art facility will equip our Airmen and exceptional civilian workers in overseeing the Pacific's premier airpower projection platform and safely assisting more than 13,000 aircraft movements annually. As the Pacific becomes even more vital to national security, we will be ready," said Col. (select) Kevin Eastland, 15th Operations Support Squadron commander.

The new tower, which is expected to last the next 50 years, will not only benefit the aviation community but will also provide significant financial impact.

"Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific is a great partnership and was crucial to the success of this project. We appreciate the efforts of our Navy, Air Force and civilian partners working together, without their partnership this project would have never materialized with this austere climate," said Lt. Col. Randy Whitecotton, 647th Civil Engineering Squadron commander.

Construction on the tower will begin immediately, and the estimated completion date is March 2014.