Epstein's Top 100 Projects: #51: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

With Veterans Day approaching, it’s fitting that our 51st project in our Top 100 countdown is a major effort we completed for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Israel’s Negev Desert.

For this project, Epstein was part of a consortium that provided comprehensive management support for the fast-track design and construction of the Ramon and Ovda Air Bases. Our engineers and architects assisted the Northern Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the design and construction of runaways, aircraft-parking aprons, aircraft shelters, control buildings, barracks, and base access roads. These two bases were constructed and completed in 1982 as a result of the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian Camp David Peace Accord.

These projects represented an exceptional management challenge. Our staff was involved in three major areas of these projects: management assistance - contract administration, program execution and cost control; technical support assistance - review of construction plans and architectural and engineering design services; and life support - providing for housing, food, and custodial services to sustain the hundreds of people involved in these projects.

Our architects and engineers were entrusted with extensive amounts of classified information in the completion of these projects, which included security systems design. The systems included perimeter fencing, electronic surveillance and armed guards. Facilities of each air base included reinforced hardened structures and sheltered facilities.

Epstein was awarded the Department of the Army Patriotic Civilian Service Award for its role in bringing this highly complicated project in on schedule.