A runway that closes April 4, 2027 and reopens November 19, 2027 turns every airfield-adjacent schedule in Aspen into a sequencing puzzle. Aspen/Pitkin County Airport received a $37 million FAA Airport Improvement Program grant, its largest single FAA grant to date, to rebuild, widen and shift its runway, within a runway and airfield program of about $269 million. We build the support structures that sit around work like that: equipment buildings, maintenance shops, fuel and fluid storage enclosures, aprons and secure yards, and we sequence them around the airport's closure and reopening dates.
The airport's total modernization program is estimated at $647.6 million, with a new terminal due by 2029, the old terminal deconstructed in 2030 and voter-approved bonds capped at $340 million under Ballot Issue 1A. Those figures describe a long program with many phases, and the tenants and contractors around it need space on a site where room is scarce. We plan staging yards, temporary facilities and permanent buildings so that each phase has what it needs when it starts.
State Highway 82 is the only major road to Aspen, and snow closes it east of town over Independence Pass from about late October to Memorial Day. For us, that means the truck route from the west is the one that matters for most of the year, and every delivery of steel, rebar, equipment or fuel arrives on the same road. We plan procurement and staging with that single route in mind.
One road in, a closure window and a bonded program
When the runway is closed, construction on the field is at its peak and everything else must fit. We schedule apron concrete, joint sawing and curing to the closure dates, with a fallback plan if weather moves a pour. Work outside the closure, such as hangar-adjacent pads, utility trenches and support buildings, is arranged so it does not take the same crews or the same road capacity at the same time.
Material arrives on State Highway 82 and must be received on a site with limited laydown. Our approach with stabilized laydown yards is to stage only what the next two weeks of work need, and to run deliveries in small, scheduled loads that match crane and crew availability. Owners planning guest-facing space here can read how we approach hospitality and hotel construction when the site is remote and the season is short.
Aspen's amended code table
The City of Aspen adopted the 2021 International Building Code including Appendices C, E and P (Municipal Code Chapter 8.20) and chose not to adopt the 2021 International Residential Code, applying the IBC to one and two family dwellings. Aspen's amended IBC Table 1601.2 lists a 100 psf ground snow load, 36 inch frost line depth, Seismic Design Category C, 89 mph wind, 7,820 ft design elevation and a minus 15 F outdoor winter design temperature.
A 100 psf ground snow load is far heavier than most Colorado towns and drives member size, connection design and foundation loads on every roof. We bring that value into the structural basis at the start and confirm it with the city before quoting steel. If the parcel lies in an unincorporated part of Pitkin County, a separate set of values may apply, and we verify the jurisdiction first.
Roofs that must not shed onto people or meters
Aspen's IBC amendment 1513 requires roofs to be designed so they do not shed ice and snow onto adjacent properties, walkways, stairs, exits, or gas and electric meters. For an industrial building, that means we cannot simply orient a roof for the best drainage; we must decide where the snow goes and what is under it.
Common solutions include snow-retention devices, hip or gable orientations that push snow toward cleared storage zones, canopies over doors and walkways and meter locations at the gable end under a protected overhang. We draw these on the elevation sheets and review them with the plan reviewer, so the answer is known before the shop drawings are made.
The same table lists an 89 mph wind speed, a 7,820 ft design elevation and a minus 15 F outdoor winter design temperature. The design elevation is the one mechanical engineers use for equipment derating, so heating plants, air handlers and generators are selected at that altitude, not at catalog sea-level ratings. We carry those values onto the drawing index so every trade works from the same set.
Hangar-adjacent, maintenance and service structures
Around an airfield, the buildings are specific: a hangar with a large clear door, a ground support equipment building, a fuel storage and dispensing area and a maintenance shop with floor drains and oil separation. Each has a defined use group, and fire protection depends on the use.
Other users in the area, including utilities and power operators and public works departments, need government and municipal facilities such as storage and vehicle bays. We coordinate those with the owner's operations group so the building matches the equipment and the staffing pattern. Because the airport program will rebuild the terminal and later deconstruct the old one, some tenants will relocate, and we design support buildings with general-purpose spans and doors so they can serve the next occupant.
Concrete, steel and civil work we manage closely
On an airfield-adjacent job, schedule control depends on managing the critical trades closely. We schedule and inspect the trade partners who place structural slabs and aprons, erect steel and panels and set up the utilities, and we hold the sequence. That is how we meet a closure window without waiting for a subcontractor's availability.
For heavy pavements we use dock aprons and loading zones design principles: jointed concrete with dowels at the high-traffic areas, base courses tested for compaction and sealed joints to keep water out of the subgrade in freeze-thaw cycles.
Neighboring mountain markets
From Aspen, work along the same corridor includes Glenwood Springs to the northwest and Vail and Eagle County to the northeast. Each has its own code and approach road, so we confirm both for each proposal and keep the closeout format the same.
Send the building list and the dates that matter
Tell us the structure, the airport phase it depends on and your occupancy date. We will return a staging plan, the design loads and a schedule that works with the closure.
Common Questions
How do you schedule around the runway closure?
The airport lists a closure from April 4, 2027 to November 19, 2027 for its runway reconstruction. We plan on-field concrete and utilities inside that window, with materials staged ahead and a weather fallback. Work that does not depend on the closure is scheduled before or after so crews and road capacity are not overloaded.
What snow load should I design for in Aspen?
The city's amended table lists a 100 psf ground snow load. The final roof design load depends on exposure, risk category and building geometry. We confirm the value with the city and size the structure from it.
Can snow slide off my roof onto a walkway or a meter?
City amendment 1513 prohibits roof designs that shed ice and snow onto adjacent properties, walkways, stairs, exits, or gas and electric meters. We design the roof shape, snow retention and canopy locations to comply, and we show them on the drawings.
What happens to deliveries when Independence Pass closes?
Snow closes State Highway 82 east of town over Independence Pass from about late October to Memorial Day, so deliveries come from the west. We plan routes and staging accordingly and avoid dependence on the pass.
Is the airport program likely to affect my schedule?
It can. A multi-year program draws contractors, deliveries and inspections to the same road and the same labor pool. We discuss your timing with you and, where possible, place critical orders before the busiest phases.