GARY — The last major piece of the Gary/Chicago International Airport’s runway expansion team was put into place Monday, and not a moment too soon.

After presentations by the two top firms on its list, the Airport Authority voted 4-2, with Authority member the Rev. Marion Johnson absent, to award Columbus, Ohio-based DLZ over New York City-based Parsons Brinckerhoff as its construction manager on the $153 million expansion. The Authority also awarded the EJ&E bridges contract to Rieth-Riley for $6,434,485.96, and the EJ&E relocation dynamic compaction and earthwork contract on the Roland Property to Dyer Construction for $2,633,057.35.

The construction management vote almost didn’t come to fruition, however, because Authority member Cornell Collins suggested the board take the time to hear presentations from the two other firms it had on its list. “My feelings on the matter are that I’d feel more comfortable interviewing numbers three and four since there was such a closeness (in ranking between DLZ and Parsons Brinckerhoff), and then make a decision,” he said before the vote.

Doing that would put the process back at least a month if not six weeks, Interim Airport Director Steve Landry explained. And that would be the best-case scenario if the Airport and the chosen firm agree to contract terms quickly.

With environmental remediation already happening on the Zaleski property on the northeast side of Cline Avenue, putting the vote off would put the chosen firm at a disadvantage, especially since the project must be completed by the end of 2013, no exceptions.

“They’re going to be constantly playing catch-up after six weeks,” said Airport Consultant Ken Ross.

Authority member Ross Amundsen made the motion to vote for DLZ, and all but Collins and Board President Nathaniel Williams voted “yes,” making the vote 4-2, with one absent.

DLZ, which has three offices near the airport and is partnering with Jacobs and ILG Consulting LLC, will oversee all the construction on the project, Landry said. The terms of its contract and how much the three will be paid will be negotiated in the next two weeks and presented for vote at the Aug. 8 meeting.

Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration’s operating authority expiring at midnight July 23, won’t hinder work at the airport, even though dozens of stop-work orders were issued over the weekend for projects to build and modernize airport control towers and other improvement projects, Landry said.

“It presents no immediate problem for us because we have no reimbursements due from the FAA yet,” Landry said. “We will be watching how this plays out with interest, though, because we can’t apply for reimbursements if it continues.”

The runway expansion is counting on roughly a third, or $57.4 million, from the federal government, Landry said.

The rest comes from the Regional Development Authority’s $50 million, the Highway Administration’s $6 million and between $9 million and $15 million from the Chicago Compact by way of passenger facility charges.