Image courtesy South Airfield China Lake DB QC Team

Delivering six major facilities simultaneously, each with distinct uses and performance criteria, required disciplined integration.

In the remote expanse of California’s Western Mojave Desert, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake plays a central role in the U.S. Navy’s weapons research, development and testing. A series of earthquakes in 2019 damaged key facilities, disrupting critical national defense operations. Restoring the base demanded a comprehensive rebuilding effort designed to modernize infrastructure, strengthen resilience and reestablish full operational readiness.

The $855.6-million South Airfield Military Construction recovery program accomplished that goal through a large-scale, multifacility design-build contract, led by ECC as prime contractor for the Navy’s Resident Officer in Charge of Construction.

C.J. Schexnayder is the Editor of ENR West. He has contributed to ENR's coverage of the construction industry for more than a decade. His work has focused on major projects, industry trends and emerging technology. He previously was the South America correspondent for the magazine based in Lima, Peru. During that time, he covered numerous large-scale infrastructure projects across the region including the Third Lane Expansion of the Panama Canal. In addition, CJ has been an award-winning newspaper reporter in Southern California, Texas and Louisiana.