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AirportImprovement.com      October 2026
AIRFIELD MAINTENANCE 
BHM | FAT | LAA | SCX | SGU | SKX 
reconstruction is 40 times the cost 
of preservation,” Manning remarks. 
By extending pavement life, airports 
can gain greater flexibility to secure 
funding and direct funds where they 
are needed most.  
That evolution is evident not 
only in FAA’s 2025 draft version of 
AC 150/5370-10J, but also in the 
products airports are using. Mike 
Beckhoff, vice president of Airport 
Engineering with LJA Engineering, 
has observed a significant shift 
during his 20+ years working with 
airport preservation programs 
across multiple states. “Many years 
ago, it was quite common to see 
SS-1 emulsified asphalt in fog seal 
applications, which in my opinion did little more than 
leave a nice shiny black surface,” Beckhoff explains. 
“SS-1 has been completely replaced by dedicated 
preservation treatments like GSB-78 and GSB-88.” As a 
result, well-maintained pavements are lasting significantly 
longer than they once did, he adds. 
JARED MANNING
MIKE BECKHOFF
FACTS&FIGURES 
Project: Runway Construction Seal 
Location: Scott County Airport, 
in Oneida, TN
Runway: 5-23
Scope: Runway, taxiway & full lighting 
rehabilitation; mill & overlay, construction 
seal & paint on 5,502 ft. x 75 ft. section
Cost: $4.9 million
Funding: 90% FAA, 5% state, 5% local 
Schedule: Applied 1 month after 
reconstruction in 2022
Project Designer/Engineer: Goodwyn 
Mills Cawood
Product: GSB-88, from Asphalt 
Systems Inc.
Key Benefits: Extended pavement life; 
delay of full paving; long-term pavement 
management; preserving condition before 
significant oxidation occurs
Project: Runway Pavement Preservation 
Location: Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Int’l 
Airport, in AL
Runway: 6-24
Scope: 365,000 sq. yd. of P-608-R asphalt 
surface treatment; 395,000 linear ft. of 
asphalt crack-sealing; 300,000 sq. ft. of 
airfield pavement markings
Cost: Nearly $6 million
Funding: 90% FAA Airport Improvement 
Program grant; 10% Birmingham Airport 
Authority (cost incorporated into airline rates 
& charges)
Strategy: Apply fast-curing treatment 
during 4-hour nighttime closures to preserve 
daytime airline operations
Timeline: March 2022–Jan. 2023 
Project Engineer: RS&H
Contractor: JJ Cunningham LLC
Product: GSB-78, from Asphalt 
Systems Inc.
Notable Details: Trial runs tested 
procedures & logistics before project began; 
dedicated subcontractor managed runway 
closure barricades; extensive coordination 
among airport staff, contractor, FAA & 
engineering team
Key Benefits: No flight delays or 
cancellations attributed to project; work 
completed on schedule & under budget; 
preserved pavement while minimizing 
operational impacts 
Project: Preserving Runway Until 
Rehabilitation
Location: Southeast Colorado Regional 
Airport, in Lamar, CO
Strategy/Scope: After the city/airport 
sealed cracks & completed skin patching, 
crews sealed existing pavement with GSB-88 
1:1 dilute as a prime coat to get as much 
binder into the pavement as possible before 
applying GSB-88-Heavy on entire runway the 
next day
Schedule: Oct. 2023
Strategy: Applying preservation treatment 
to oxidized & cracked runway to extend its 
service life while rehabilitation funding is 
pursued
Product: GSB-88-Heavy (P-608H—soon to 
be P-628H, which is P-628 Concentrate), from 
Asphalt Systems Inc.
Key Benefits: Prevented near-term 
runway closure; extended useful life; virtually 
eliminated additional raveling for 2+ yrs. 
after treatment
Project: Preserving Runway Until 
Rehabilitation
Location: Taos Regional Airport, in NM
Runway: 4-22
Scope: Crack sealing, seal coating of 
45,867 sq. yd.
Cost: $371,433
Funding: 90% FAA, 10% state & local
Schedule: Oct. 2024
Strategy: Addressed weathering, raveling 
& cracking; restored asphalt binder near 
surface; reduced aggregate loss; protected 
pavement from continued oxidation
Product: P-608 2:1 dilute with 2.5% 
polymer, from Asphalt Systems Inc.
Key Benefits: Extended runway service 
life; facilitated regular airport operations; 
preserved pavement until rehabilitation 
funding becomes available
Project: Preserving Runway Until Full 
Reconstruction
Location: Fresno Yosemite Int’l Airport, 
in CA
Runway: 11L-29R
Scope: Mill & overlay with seal coat of 
7,000 ft.
Approx. Cost: $5 million
Funding: FAA Airport Improvement 
Program/Airport Infrastructure grants
Schedule: 2021
Strategy: Milled & overlayed keel section, 
preserved remaining pavement to stabilize 
runway until reconstruction funding became 
available
Planning & Design: Kimley-Horn
Product: P-608 treatment, from Asphalt 
Systems Inc. 
Key Benefits: Stabilized severely 
weathered pavement; reduced foreign object 
debris; extended pavement life about 5 yrs; 
minimized intermittent runway closures while 
reconstruction planning continued
PHOTO: RS&H

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