Caddell Project Wins Top National Honors for UAV Hanger Complex at Fort Bragg

A Caddell Construction Company project has won top honors in the construction industry’s two most prestigious national project excellence competitions. The Design-Build Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle (drone) Hangar Complex at Camp Mackall-Fort Bragg, NC won the AGC (Associated General Contractors) Build America Award, Category Federal & Heavy Construction. This project was selected as winner of the National ABC (Associated Builders & Contractors) Eagle Award for best project, nationwide, in the category Pre-Engineered Buildings. This rare double win will be recognized at each association’s respective national convention in March 2017.

Caddell Construction Company managed the design and construction of a new $32 million dollar complex for housing, maintaining, and operating some of the military’s most sophisticated unmanned aircraft systems. The scope of work included a 56,250-square-foot hangar; a new 5,000-ft. reinforced concrete runway; 4.5 miles of security perimeter fencing; five ground data terminal platforms; and six air landing systems. Despite significant late design modifications and expansions of the original scope, Caddell completed this high-priority project on time and to a very high level of satisfaction among numerous project stakeholders. There was not a single safety incident, and the work was performed while training for the Army Special Operations Forces continued on two adjacent runways.

Caddell Construction led a collaboration with engineering firm EDT, three districts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Army Special Operations Forces/Department of Defense, architectural firm Knight Architects of Atlanta, and multiple subcontractors.

Lt. Colonel Thomas Jesse, Airfield Commander at Camp Mackall, said, “Caddell has set a high benchmark for new hangar and runway construction regarding timeliness, quality, safety, and customer service. We are very pleased with our new facilities.”

Karl A. Gabzdyl, Resident Engineer with the USACE Savannah District, agreed. “I have been serving the Savannah District’s Fort Bragg office since 2000 and would rate this project among the best of my career.”