An innovative approach to runway
rehabilitation never before performed at a Kansas airport that resulted in cost
savings and reduced construction time has been honored by the American Council
of Engineering companies of Kansas with an Engineering Excellence Award.
The rehabilitation of Runway 13-31
at Strother Field Airport in Cowley County, Kansas was originally scheduled to
be completed by traditional methods, with the milling of the existing bituminous
surface and constructing a bituminous overlay. But Garver had to come up with
an innovative alternative when it was determined the runway, one of two at the
airport, had deteriorated to a condition that would not withstand such
construction methods. Instead, Garver developed a solution to improve the
pavement condition, preserve capacity, sustain access, and maintain the project
budget to overhaul a runway that helps serve GE Engine Services, the last jet
engine overhaul facility based in North America.
“This project highlights what we
like to do best at Garver,” said Kansas Aviation Team Leader Mark Williams. “By
finding an innovative solution to a complex problem, our Aviation Team not only
developed an alternative to Strother Field’s current issue, but we created
another option for similar projects in the future.”
Garver’s solution included
reclaiming the existing bituminous surface course to serve as a stabilized base
course for a new bituminous surface course, which required collaboration with
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to gain approval of technical
specifications. The FAA-approved strategy reduced project costs, and runway
closure-time, while improving the pavement condition and maintaining access to
GE Engine Services.
In addition, Garver developed a
bituminous pavement specification that incorporated the material requirements
of the Kansas Department of Transportation specifications with the construction
methods required by the FAA. These specifications can now be used on future
airfield bituminous paving projects in Kansas.
To learn more about Garver’s
Aviation Team, visit www.GarverUSA.com/Aviation.
