Posted at 2:05 a.m., Thursday, October 18, 2007
Lingle releases nearly $5 milion for airport
Advertiser Staff
Governor Linda Lingle released $4,934,687 yesterday for construction of a second electrical vault at Honolulu International Airport to ensure 100 percent emergency backup power for its airfield operations.The funds will be used for the construction of a vault and a 7,200 square foot building for the vault, as well as for a standby generator, electrical switchgear equipment, computerized control and monitoring systems, airfield lighting cable and other related work and items, a news release from the governor's office said.
Currently, one electrical vault powers all of the airport's runway lighting, taxiway lighting and navigational aids. If the vault were to fail, the entire airfield would be without electrical power, which would result in the closure of all four of the airport's runways.
Once the project is completed, the airport will have two parallel, independent electrical vaults that will each regularly run two, fully operational runways and be able to power the entire airfield should one vault fail.
The total project cost is $13,856,369, which consists of $8,768,283 in federal funds and a previous state allotment of $153,399 for design.
Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2008 and be completed in January 2009.
