b'RUNWAYSFFZ69renovation since its construction in 1992. For the pavement toThe process involved paving 2-inch lifts at a time, beginning have lasted this long in this environment with high UV ray index, itwith a control strip and tests of several joint cores as required by says a lot about the pavement mix design and whoever was theFAA. Additional testing occurred each day of paving, including hot contractor when they built it, Gibbs comments.samples, taken as the asphalt was applied, and core samples, The budget for complete reconstruction is $577,760, and willtaken the next day. likely be paid for entirely with state funds (vs. the usual 90% stateMinimizing the number of joints between paving lanes within funding with 10% local match). In this case, the city was onlythe large, oddly shaped area required some strategy. Neves responsible for a contingency of $20,000. Although the project isequipment could create a paving lane of about 15 feet wide, so it not fully closed out, Gibbs expects it to finish under budget withtook nine to 10 lanes to cover the widest part of the ramp. Crews $519,132 being spent as of mid-June. Unused contingency fundstook core samples to test each of the joints between lanes and will be returned to the citys Airport Enterprise Fund.also the cold joints, where cooled asphalt met the new asphalt. Even though the Arizona Department of Transportation isPaving took three full days, but the overall asphalt work took funding the reconstruction, the project was designed andabout two weeks with testing. Core samples were sent to two constructed to federal standards. We want to have everythingdifferent laboratoriesone selected by Neve, the other by the city designed to FAA specifications so we know that everything is(as airport owner). Awaiting test results and scheduling asphalt going to be consistent, Nystrom explains.production for the next paving event proved to be a deft dance for The ramps first major reconstruction wasNeve. The contractor could not afford to order 500 tons of asphalt awarded to Neve Construction, a long-timeonly to cancel if test results were either late or negative. With Phoenix contractor that is a first-timer inNagar allotting three working days between each paving date, the the airfield sector. Ari Nagar, the companysproject was completed without a hitch and under the $360,000 project manager at FFZ, emphasizes thatbudget allocated to Neve.safety was the top priority as crews worked just a few hundred feet from the runwayKeeping Up Appearanceswhere aircraft were taking off and landing.ARI NAGAR Nagar recommends monthly airfield pavement inspections to check for cracking, rutting, potholes, ponding and deterioration that could Communication is critical, and this project involved a lot ofcause foreign object debris risk for aircraft. Moreover, he suggests communication on both the technological level and logisticaldriving over asphalt regularly to make sure its a smooth ride. level, Nagar adds. We had daily updates and daily safetyService life depends on traffic, upkeep, regular maintenance and inspections. initial construction quality. I do expect a 20-year life span [at FFZ] Using the P-401 asphalt specified by FAA and adhering to itswith regular maintenance, he advises. associated quality control requirements were also firsts for NeveBased on the areas desert climate and summer temperatures Construction. It took about five weeks to get the mix designed,that regularly top 100 degrees F, Gibbs anticipates needing created and approved. to sealcoat the new ramp every two to five years. The citys One of the biggest challenges was meeting strict densityEngineering Department traditionally assists with this. The airport requirements in the P-401 specs. That required close coordinationalso participates in a pavement preservation program run by with the paving crew and also the asphalt plant to make sureADOTs Division of Aeronautics. Every five years, approved contract that what they were producing on paving day would meet theengineers survey the asphalt, calculate pavement condition index approved design specifications.scores and take photographs to document pavement condition. Neve removed part of the airfield fence to create a constructionResults are entered into a website database, which participating entrance that was close to the project site and allowed accesspublic use airports can consult to help forecast and model future without crossing any runways. Anytime we had anythingmaintenance and repairs. Management at FFZ also considers scheduled to come through that entrance, we had a flagger therefeedback from tenants, airport users and FAA personnel. to check who was coming in and out, says Nagar.Not Over Until the Paperwork Is DoneWeather posed another challenge. Falcon Field is like beingIn mid-June, the Anzio Ramp project was about 95% complete, in a wind tunnel. It is so different from the rest of the city, sayslacking only closeout paperwork and the final Nagar, noting that FAA-compliant barricades are different fromengineering report. roadway versions its crews are accustomed to. Kayleen Cordiak, P.E., supervising engineer Laying it Down for the city of Mesa, notes that the citys The Anzio Ramp covers just shy of one acre, and Neve applied 980Engineering Department will provide an tons of asphalt to achieve the 4-inch pavement thickness specifiedengineering summary report to accompany by project designers.closeout documents from Woolpert. Then, the airport will make its final grant closeout request.KAYLEEN CORDIAKAirportImprovement.comJuly | August 2025'