Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake South Airfield Earthquake Recovery Project

Ridgecrest, CA

A significant component of the $2.7 billion Earthquake Recovery Project projects at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, the $776 million South Airfield projects consisted of six projects consolidated under a singular multiple award construction contract. These projects aimed to repair and reconstruct vital research facilities damaged by devastating back-to-back 6.4 and 7.1 magnitude earthquakes in July 2019, with groundbreaking occurring in March 2021.

Following the earthquakes, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) established Officer In Charge of Construction (OICC) China Lake to manage reconstruction and repair of damaged facilities. The program identified 29 projects that had to be addressed to bring NAWS China Lake and NAWCWD back online.

Spanning over 144 acres at the South Airfield, this cluster of projects represents the largest single construction contract in the earthquake recovery effort. The projects involved the replacement of damaged structures and the development of new, advanced facilities to support the testing and development of current and future warfighting capabilities. These included a new fire rescue station, air traffic control tower, two hangars – including the new home of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 31 – and a new Air Wing Integration and Interoperability Lab.

The scale of the program, coupled with an expedited delivery schedule, numerous stakeholders, and the technical complexity of the test facilities, made the projects particularly challenging. Key to its success was formal construction partnering, which included bi-monthly executive sessions with members of the project team. These meetings focused on shared goals related to schedule, safety, quality, changes, teamwork, commissioning, and budget, while fostering innovative problem-solving and cutting-edge results. They also provided a platform to address construction and administrative barriers, establish personal commitments to action, and track progress at subsequent meetings.

To further enhance collaboration and ensure successful project outcomes, the Officer in Charge of Construction (OICC) China Lake team hosted quarterly Community of Contractors Forums. These forums brought together contractor leaders to discuss common concerns, share lessons learned, and highlight best practices.

A key factor in advancing the South Airfield projects was the proactive creation of temporary housing for construction workers. Recognizing the need to reduce housing impacts on the small Ridgecrest community while supporting a large, skilled transient workforce, the team developed a sustainment contract for a 1,300-unit temporary employee housing complex. Located off-base but still on federal property, the housing complex was designed to be reverted to its natural state once construction was completed.