HILL AIR FORCE BASE—Senior leaders and other officials came together May 18 to break ground on a massive, 1 million square foot, 10-year, $1.2 billion F-35/T-7A East Campus Infrastructure project. It is the first major construction milestone in a long-term, mission-critical modernization effort supporting the Ogden Air Logistics Complex.

“As the workload at the complex increases, our infrastructure must expand to meet the demand,” said Col. Dan Cornelius, Commander 75th Air Base Wing. “Today marks the beginning of a massive transformation at Hill AFB. As we build out the foundation of the East Campus, a few years from now this side of the installation will look completely different.”

Phase one of the East Campus project is extensive, he said. “It includes nine miles of electrical lines, a two million gallon water tank and two and a half miles of water and fire suppression lines. We’re also investing in our road network, laying enough pavement to cover four and a half football fields.”

Importantly, all of this infrastructure will tie in toward an existing airfield, said Cornelius. “To do this we are placing concrete for the new airfield taxiways equal to nearly five baseball fields and installing over a mile of taxiway lighting. Finally, we’re installing over a mile of new gas mains to keep operations running.”

This is just the beginning, he said. “In total, this East Campus project that we’re breaking ground on today represents an engine for growth for Hill AFB, already Utah’s largest single-site employer. This infrastructure will help ensure that when our nation calls, the Air Force Base remains ready to increase the longevity, survivability and lethality of the world's most advanced aircraft.”

Today’s groundbreaking represents much more than the start of construction, said Col. Robert McTighe, Sacramento District Commander, United States Army Corps of Engineers. “The F-35 and T-7A East Campus Infrastructure project is the first of eight projects, representing more than $1.2 billion.”

These investments establish a mission critical aircraft maintenance campus here at Hill AFB, he said. “This is the first groundbreaking but it’s not just the start. It’s been in execution for a while. The scope and acquisition planning that’s taken place has really set the groundwork for this project to be successful.”

These Hill AFB and the F-35 depot maintenance complexes are top military projects and top priority for Sacramento District, said McTighe. “As such we put our most talented journeyman level employees and master craftsman level employees on this project. We’ve also placed apprentice level employees with just tons of potential that are going to take this project all the way to the finish line.”

“You’re going to see the T-7A come here,” said Brigadier General Hall Sebren, Commander Ogden Air Logistics Complex. “We’re going to pick up that workload here. That means jobs. We’re going to need housing and all those things.”

Sebren said they are also going to move some workload from the other side of the base over to this side of the base. “Right now we do our F-35 workload in a 1940s hangar where we built bombers in World War II. This is going to be purpose built to do the things that we need to do with our fifth and sixth generation aircraft. I think it’s going to be absolutely amazing.”

This is going to be the only place in the United States where this work can be done, he said. “That’s going to make Hill AFB even more important.”