30 AIRFIELD MAINTENANCE October 2026 AirportImprovement.com BHM | FAT | LAA | SCX | SGU | SKX contingency plans before construction begins so every available minute can be devoted to production rather than problem-solving. Weather was a variable that received constant attention throughout the project at BHM, as preservation treatments require specific environmental conditions for proper application and curing. “This can be hard to predict in Birmingham, so a go/no-go decision with the contractor and Airport Operations was made each night prior to closing the runway,” Thomason explains. “If there was any doubt about clear weather for the entire shift, a no- go decision was made and that night’s work was postponed.” Despite weather delays and occasional adjustments to accommodate late-arriving flights, the construction phase remained on schedule and ultimately came in under budget. The nighttime strategy also achieved its primary operational objective. “The most important benefit was that BHM did not experience any delays or cancellations due to the project,” Lima says. “Airfield work is inevitable, and if you can successfully complete it without major impacts to flight operations, that’s always a huge win.” In a similar vein, SGU in Utah typically schedules its pavement maintenance during overnight closure windows to avoid disrupting commercial service. While nighttime work minimizes impacts to airlines and passengers, the associated cooler temperatures can increase curing time of treatments, which requires more demanding quality control under portable lighting and increases contractor costs. Even so, SGU Airport Manager Dustin Warren says those costs are outweighed by avoiding the operational and economic impacts associated with daytime runway closures. The projects at BHM and SGU illustrate that treatments to extend pavement service can be applied in a manner that minimizes impacts to airlines, tenants and the traveling public. For other airports, the primary challenge is not finding time to complete the work; it’s securing the necessary funds to address aging pavement. In those situations, preservation serves a different purpose: buying valuable time until larger capital improvement projects can be completed. Biding Time Using customized preservation techniques while larger rehabilitation projects move through lengthy design and funding processes has become increasingly common as construction costs continue to rise. They can also provide a greater return on investment than allowing deterioration to progress while waiting for rehabilitation funding to become available. The Colorado Division of Aeronautics has incorporated this philosophy into its statewide pavement management strategy. Deputy Director Todd Green explains that high elevations, intense sun exposure, low humidity and major temperature swings throughout the state accelerate weathering and oxidation, often shortening pavement life if left unchecked. “The Division of Aeronautics has always been a strong proponent of pavement preservation,” Green says. “The goal is to maximize pavement life while making the best use of available funding.” This approach allowed Southeast Colorado Regional Airport (LAA) in Lamar, CO, to address a growing concern with its crosswind runway. The pavement had noticeable oxidation and cracking, yet rehabilitation funding was not immediately available. Airport officials recognized that continued deterioration could jeopardize the runway in the meantime. Rather than waiting for conditions to worsen, the Colorado Division of Aeronautics worked to preserve the existing pavement and extend its useful life. “The overall goal was to save our crosswind runway from closure in the near term in order to give us more time to acquire funding for future rehabilitation,” explains Patrick Mason, public works director for the city of Lamar. The preservation project received approximately $300,000 in discretionary funding from the Colorado Division of Aeronautics, and the city provided the required local share. Now, more than two years later, the intervention has been deemed a success. “The runway has held up very well,” Mason reports. “There has been virtually no additional raveling since the treatment.” Without it, he says the airport likely would have faced a very different situation: “There is a good chance we would PATRICK MASON TODD GREEN
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