Category - Runway/Ramp

Historic O’Hare Airfield Reconfiguration Reaches Finale

Historic O’Hare Airfield Reconfiguration Reaches Finale
Robert Hoxie, chief development officer for the Chicago Department of Aviation, doesn’t mince words about the importance of completing the O’Hare Modernization Program. Since it was first announced in 2001, the $8 billion program has been steadily transforming the airfield at O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to improve safety and efficiency and reduce delays that were known to cause ripples throughout the National Airspace System.

Blue Grass Airport Races to Repave Runway in 72 Hours

Blue Grass Airport Races to Repave Runway in 72 Hours
There is a certain type of NASCAR fan who prefers to watch races from pit road because that’s often where races are won or lost. They love to see the carefully choreographed flurry of action as crews fuel up a car and swap out four tires in less than 15 seconds.

McGhee Tyson Airport Expands Scope of Simple Runway Rehab

McGhee Tyson Airport Expands Scope of Simple Runway Rehab
The internet is full of videos about home improvement projects that mushroom in size and scope. What starts as a simple fix all too often becomes a complete redo. McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) near Knoxville, TN, experienced a similar storyline when it undertook what was initially envisioned as a simple runway rehab in 2009. Spoiler alert: TYS installed fresh concrete, but also ended up extending and completely redesigning the runway…and installing a new instrument landing system (ILS) on the parallel runway.

Regional Municipality Funds Runway Improvements at Fort McMurray Int’l

Regional Municipality Funds Runway Improvements at Fort McMurray Int’l
At a time when some airports were pressing the proverbial pause button on all construction and improvements, Fort McMurray International (YMM) in Alberta was moving ahead with plans for a major runway rehabilitation. The $15 million project was completed in May, funded entirely by the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo.

Critical Runway at Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Receives New Life

Critical Runway at Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Receives New Life
It’s not an exaggeration to say that airfield operations at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) impact the entire global aviation system. It is, the fourth-busiest airport in the world. When officials determined it was time to rehabilitate one of the critical hub’s seven runways, care was given to the design, planning and phasing of the project.

Daytona Beach Int’l Rehabilitates Its Longest, Busiest Taxiway

Daytona Beach Int’l Rehabilitates Its Longest, Busiest Taxiway
After decades of continuous use by commercial and student aircraft, the taxiway parallel to the primary runway at Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) was exhibiting multiple pavement distresses. The most prominent issues were weathering and longitudinal and transverse cracking. Pavement cores revealed that many of the cracks extended completely through the asphalt.

O’Hare Nearing End of Monumental Airfield Initiative

O’Hare Nearing End of Monumental Airfield Initiative
O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is in the final leg of a long journey to completely reconfigure its airfield. Soon, Chicago’s primary airport will have six east-west parallel runways and two crosswind runways—with far fewer intersections. Last November, ORD moved one step closer to an improved configuration when officials opened the airport’s first new runway since fall 2015.

St. Pete-Clearwater Int’l Expedites Rehab Project by Shifting Commercial Traffic to Crosswind Runway

St. Pete-Clearwater Int’l Expedites Rehab Project by Shifting Commercial Traffic to Crosswind Runway
When it came time for St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) to rehab its primary air carrier runway, closing the airfield was not an option. Officials needed a plan to keep commercial aircraft flying in and out of the Florida airport. Airport officials brainstormed with consulting engineer Kimley-Horn and other project partners to devise a way to complete most of the work during daytime hours.

Ford Int’l Reconstructs & Expands Apron

Ford Int’l Reconstructs & Expands Apron
Earlier this year, contractors finished the final punch list for a much needed $50 million apron reconstruction and expansion project at Gerald R. Ford International (GRR) in Grand Rapids, MI. Casey Ries, engineering and planning director at GRR, was glad to close out the complex project the airport began planning back in 2015. Ries explains that 2018 to 2019 was the ideal time to reconstruct the terminal apron because the physical condition of the pavement was not great and the logistic conditions were favorable.

Philadelphia Int’l Finishes Airfield Rehab Months Early Despite Multiple Challenges

Philadelphia Int’l Finishes Airfield Rehab Months Early Despite Multiple Challenges
The multi-year $25 million East Airfield Rehabilitation at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) was completed 71 days early—and that was after having to shut down due to COVID-19. ​With construction progressing so fast and money still in the budget, PHL even managed to take advantage of reduced airfield traffic from the pandemic to add extra taxiway overlays to the project scope.

Asset Tracking Software at McCarran Int’l Boosts Efficiency, Documents FAA Compliance

Asset Tracking Software at McCarran Int’l Boosts Efficiency, Documents FAA Compliance
Maintenance personnel at McCarran International Airport (LAS) no longer put pen to paper when they log maintenance performed on runway lights. Instead, a digital asset management system uses GPS technology to track the work performed and pushes the information to a cloud-based platform to enhance the accuracy of maintenance records.

Pandemic-Era Snow Strategies: Keeping Pavement Cleared & Workers Safe

Pandemic-Era Snow Strategies: Keeping Pavement Cleared & Workers Safe
Knowing that late-spring snowstorms can be among the heaviest and hardest to clear, airport operations managers in cold-weather cities like Manchester, NH, and Minneapolis implemented plans to keep their maintenance crews safe while also remaining ready to clear away snow. Thankfully, most of North America was spared significant snowfall for the remainder of the season. The challenge of keeping workers safe increased in late spring as COVID-19 cases rose, but the concern about getting socked with a major snowfall subsided.

Owen Roberts Int’l Completes Airfield Improvements During Pandemic

Owen Roberts Int’l Completes Airfield Improvements During Pandemic
March is usually a very busy month at Grand Cayman’s Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM), with tourists streaming in to enjoy beaches, coral reefs and other western Caribbean attractions. After years of tremendous growth in passenger traffic, officials were looking forward to a record-breaking March last year. And then COVID-19 effectively closed the entire island, including its airport.

DeWitt Spain Airport Applies Sealcoat to Preserve New Runway Asphalt

DeWitt Spain Airport Applies Sealcoat to Preserve New Runway Asphalt
A recent runway resurfacing project at General DeWitt Spain Airport (M01) is proving that sealcoats are not just for maintenance anymore. The general aviation airport, located minutes from downtown Memphis, TN, opted to apply a protective sealcoat over brand new asphalt to help preserve the Airport Authority’s investment and increase the life of its new pavement.

Grant County Int’l Flattens Hump in Runway

Grant County Int’l Flattens Hump in Runway
Airports throughout the world face many of the same challenges, but Grant County International (MWH) in Moses Lake, WA, recently tackled an unusual airfield issue. It leveled a gradual, but pronounced, hump in the middle of its main runway.

Collaboration, Flexibility Help Sacramento Int’l Meet Critical Deadline to Reopen Key Runway

Collaboration, Flexibility Help Sacramento Int’l Meet Critical Deadline to Reopen Key Runway
Despite surprising underground discoveries and a limited construction period due to impending seasonal fog, Sacramento International Airport (SMF) opened its critically important new $30 million concrete runway on time.

Paine Field Saves Time & Money by Fast-Tracking Ramp Repairs

Paine Field Saves Time & Money by Fast-Tracking Ramp Repairs
Paine Field (PAE), just north of Seattle, saved an estimated quarter of a million dollars and two months of time on recent ramp repairs by suspending commercial passenger flights and closing the terminal to complete the project while traffic was already slow due to COVID-19. The strategy also spared its airlines and passengers the service disruptions such work typically causes.

Paoli Municipal Makes Significant Improvements to Its Sole Runway

Paoli Municipal Makes Significant Improvements to Its Sole Runway
Robbie Lambert recalls his flight instructor repeatedly telling him, “If you can land at Paoli, you can land anywhere.” It was a profound statement coming from an experienced veteran who once worked as a bush pilot in Alaska. ​With practice, Lambert learned to navigate the challenges of Runway 2-20 at Paoli Municipal Airport (I42) in southern Indiana…and now serves as president of the Paoli Board of Aviation Commissioners.

Buffalo Niagara Int’l Knows Snow

Buffalo Niagara Int’l Knows Snow
With winter weather that is beyond unpredictable, Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) needs top-notch expertise and equipment to keep its airfield clear for aircraft operations. “There’s no typical winter here in Buffalo,” says Airfield Superintendent Joe Guarino. “There’s always something different that happens during a snow event.”

Test Slabs at Des Moines Int’l Bode Well for Electrically Heated Airside Pavement

Test Slabs at Des Moines Int’l Bode Well for Electrically Heated Airside Pavement
Central Iowa may not be the first location that springs to mind for cutting-edge technology breakthroughs, but Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is defying that stereotype. The small hub facility is the first U.S. airport using electrically conductive concrete with embedded electrodes to heat airside pavement. Two test slabs installed on DSM’s general aviation apron in 2016 are producing promising results.

Facing a Tight Deadline, Lakeland Linder Achieves What Some Thought Impossible

Facing a Tight Deadline, Lakeland Linder Achieves What Some Thought Impossible
The Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo, held at Florida’s Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL), is one of the world’s largest aviation events. The popular fly-in and airshow are such a big to-do that the FAA dispatches its most experienced air traffic controllers to manage the 1,200+ daily operations it draws. This would have been the 46th Sun ’n Fun, but like most large events in 2020, it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nashville Int’l Cuts Costs for Airfield Markings With New Inspection & Maintenance Strategy

Nashville Int’l Cuts Costs for Airfield Markings With New Inspection & Maintenance Strategy
People use the phrase “Don’t paint yourself into a corner” to offer advice about everything from business strategies to personal relationships. It also can apply, somewhat literally, to airports that establish years of fixed budgets for airfield marking projects. Sadly, many end up overspending.

Bismarck Airport Maintains Operations During Runway Replacement Project

Bismarck Airport Maintains Operations During Runway Replacement Project
There were plenty of factors that could have forced Bismarck Airport (BIS) to shut down while crews replaced its 8,794-foot main runway: an unusually high water table, the diverse needs of five different air carriers and a construction schedule heavily influenced by funding. Despite these challenges and an early winter snowstorm, the North Dakota airport managed to remain open for traffic throughout the $64 million project. When airport officials started planning the project with engineering consultant KLJ, the FAA indicated it would need to deliver funding over three years.

Runway Rehab Allows Anchorage Int’l to Accommodate Largest Cargo Jets

Runway Rehab Allows Anchorage Int’l to Accommodate Largest Cargo Jets
It’s common for airports to uncover unexpected challenges such as unmarked utilities, protected wildlife or even buried aircraft and other military surplus during airfield projects. At Ted Stevens Anchorage International (ANC), the ground beneath the airfield literally shook during its recent runway rehabilitation.

Duluth Int’l Reconstructs Main Runway

Duluth Int’l Reconstructs Main Runway
Tom Werner, executive director at Duluth International (DLH), is currently celebrating two big milestones: his 20th year working at the northern Minnesota airport and the recent full-length, full-depth reconstruction of its 10,150-foot main runway. As Werner describes it, the $38 million project spanned five calendar years and completely restored the airport’s very backbone.

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Now is the Time for Los Angeles to Lean Into its Aviation Legacy and Shape the Future
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Recycling at its Finest - Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
Recycling at its Finest - Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
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