Woolpert to Provide Engineering, Survey and Consulting for American Samoa Airport Terminal

Woolpert has been contracted by the American Samoa Government, Department of Port Administration, to evaluate, plan and design a new airport terminal at Pago Pago International Airport (PPG). Woolpert will provide engineering, planning, survey and consulting services for PPG, which serves the seven South Pacific islands of this U.S. territory.

Senior Project Manager and Senior Associate Curtis Brown said the evaluation phase is underway. Woolpert is employing the VLX mobile mapping building scanner as part of its reality capture for the existing structure and utilities to produce precise as-built drawings, which will be used to assess what can be retained and rebuilt. The existing PPG terminal has limits due to regional geography. It was built more than 50 years ago and has been expanded multiple times to address the evolving needs of the region and the industry.

“The current facility does not adequately support new aircraft or economic development plans for American Samoa, which is actively expanding infrastructure, industrial, commercial and business opportunities,” Brown said. “We have been working with the American Samoa government over the last few years, reconstructing and extending runways, and we truly appreciate their culture and values, as well as their needs and vast potential.”

This project will be completed with local, federal and FAA funding sources. The build will be environmentally and economically conscious, incorporating sustainable materials and climate resilience practices, while improving services that support disenfranchised communities.

Woolpert also has partnered with Corgan, a premier airport terminal architecture firm, and local engineering consultancy firm PPG Consultants. Additionally, other key Woolpert staff such as Director of Strategic Consulting David Tomber and Geospatial/Mobile Mapping Leader John Arnold are scheduled to support elements of the PPG terminal planning and design efforts.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.