Many airport operators feel they have limited options when it comes to airfield pavements. As vital concrete and asphalt assets age and deteriorate, they repair areas as needed and wait for the field's pavement condition index to dictate a replacement project. When that day comes and goes, a new version of the same cycle begins again.
It's often a challenge to secure partial funding for major projects, but Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) in Florida received full funding from the state for its recent $2.8 million runway renovation. Typically, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will pay up to 50% of construction expenses at state airports. However, it pays up to 100% of the cost for special demonstration projects.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) recently completed the total reconstruction of Runway 16C-34C, giving new life to the oldest of its three runways. And what a life it will be. The 9,426-foot runway that was originally built in 1969 is now projected to have another 40-year lifecycle.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) recently completed two massive projects to relight and remark its airfield. Almost all of the work occurred simultaneously, from March 2014 to July 2015. Together, the improvements cost the airport about $34 million - with no outside funding.
Justin Lobb, manager at Immokalee Regional (IMM) in Florida, doesn't mince words when he recalls how badly the airport's north-south runway needed a major makeover: "The pavements showed signs of water intrusion and longitudinal cracking. The maze of drainage ditches between the runway and Taxiway B also presented maintenance challenges. Irregular grading had resulted in unsafe ponding and wildlife attraction conditions, and the area was accessible for maintenance only during the dry season."
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is nearly halfway through an ambitious three-year project to bring all four runways at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) into compliance with FAA runway safety area requirements.
In addition to the standard noise abatement challenges all airports face, Denver International (DEN) has an additional layer of complexity: a stringent noise compliance agreement with its county that dates back to 1989. Each of the agreement's 101 points includes a $500,000 annual penalty; so noise infractions could potentially cost DEN more than $50 million every year.
Despite extra challenges from a mid-project military event and an unusually large pool of stakeholders, Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT) finished a $13.6 million runway reconstruction project last year - on time, on budget and without any interruptions to commercial airline service.
Memphis International (MEM) is embarking on an ambitious, multi-faceted plan to right-size its passenger terminal for a better fit with present and future traffic. The current priority, however, is airside enhancements.
When Charles M. Schultz-Sonoma County Airport (STS) completed a $55 million runway expansion and improvement project last November, it not only met the congressionally mandated December 31, 2014, deadline for runway safety areas, it also added enough runway length to help attract regional jet traffic.
A series of airfield improvements at South Bimini Airport (YBS) is making it easier for travelers to get to Bimini, the tiny pair of Bahaman islands located just 50 miles off the east coast of Florida. That's good news for beachgoers, sport fishermen and any other North or South American travelers who want to escape to a tropical paradise without spending a lot of time getting there.
Passengers touching down on Runway 4R at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County International Airport (DTW) probably assume that the long, plain structure off the end of Runway 22L is a fence or billboard space ready for advertisers. (See photo)
