McCarran Airport dedicates nation’s second-tallest traffic control tower

Against the dazzling backdrop of the Las Vegas Strip, planes can be seen taking off and landing from high atop the nation’s second-tallest air traffic control tower that recently opened at McCarran International Airport.

The panoramic views from the 352-foot-tall structure allows controllers from the Federal Aviation Administration to clearly see where jetliners are headed, all with a vigilant eye toward safety.

“Las Vegas’ air system has been growing very rapidly and continues to do so,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said Tuesday.

“Our job is to ensure controllers have the technology that they need, and that they have all the tools and space they need to keep the system safe,” Huerta said. The tower “ensures Las Vegas is well positioned for future growth.”

Even though it opened Aug. 28, the new tower at McCarran was formally dedicated Tuesday in a ceremony attended by Huerta, U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., Rep. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, and others.

The $111 million facility opened nearly a year behind schedule, delayed by two government shutdowns that were followed by the discovery of a massive construction error.

The tower is coming online as McCarran International reported 530,330 flights last year, nearly quadruple the 140,000 flights recorded when the old tower opened in 1983, airport officials said.

“We were so thrilled when we found out that Las Vegas was going to be approved for this state-of-the-art project,” said Rosemary Vassiliadis, director of Clark County’s Department of Aviation. “And now that it’s completed, we know how great it will serve our travelers for decades to come.”

The scent of fresh paint permeated the hallways during a tour of the new tower, which stands as the second-tallest behind Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The 40 controllers working on the top floor, known as the cab, have 850 square feet of office space that offer unobstructed views of McCarran’s airfield and the Las Vegas Valley. On a clear day, the workers can see military jets passing through Nellis Air Force Base to the north, and smaller private planes at Henderson Executive Airport to the south.

“The controllers can see more of the field without having to turn their bodies, and potentially having their back to some of the traffic on the airfield,” said Scott French, the FAA transition manager who oversaw the move into the new tower.

“So far, the reception has been positive,” French said. “But it’s hard not to like something that’s brand new.”

The facility includes a 52,800-square-foot, four-story office building at the tower’s base for Terminal Radar Approach Control, where another 49 controllers manage airborne planes within a 40-mile radius of McCarran’s airspace.

Back-up diesel generators, radar sensors and other infrastructure take up the first two floors of the TRACON building. The fourth floor is used for training and office space, while the controllers are housed inside a dimly lit room on the third floor.

Construction started five years ago, but came to a standstill due to government shutdowns that forced FAA workers to go on furlough in 2011 and 2013.

Reid took a chance on Tuesday to blame Republican legislators for those government shutdowns.

“We all apologize to everyone for this taking as long as it has to be finalized, but let me give you a little dirty secret,” Reid said during the news conference. “One reason is the Republicans closed Congress more than once. Anytime you have to start, stop and start over again costs more money, it takes more time, and that’s what we have here.”

The project was further stalled when a serious construction error was spotted in early 2014. A chemical coating was supposed to be placed within walls, ducts and other dry areas to curb stachybotrys chartarum, a black mold that causes flu-like symptoms.

At the time, workers on the job site told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the chemical was placed in flexible ducts that were lubricated for installation, but the coating never adhered to the oily surfaces. As a result, flakes of the substance blew into rooms when crews tested the air conditioning and heating system.

The contractor, Walsh Construction of Chicago, removed and replaced the duct system, the FAA said. It was unclear how much it cost to complete the work, and the matter is tied up in litigation.

Before moving into the new tower, McCarran’s air traffic controllers underwent two days of testing that included work inside a high-tech simulator that re-creates their new view of the airfield, allowing them to give commands to digital planes.

Controllers moved into the new facility at 4 p.m. Aug. 28, but a few workers remained in the old tower to ensure a smooth transition. Within 11 hours, all operations were shut down at the airport’s old 185-foot-tall tower, which will be demolished shortly after the start of the new year.

“If people don’t feel like they can come here safely, they may not come,” said Titus, who sits on the House subcommittee on aviation. “We want them to feel confident and comfortable when they come.”

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Find @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.