Skip to main content

Runway rebuild for Detroit airport

A US contractor has employed equipment from Guntert & Zimmerman to help carry out a runway rebuild at Detroit Metro Airport The busy airport handles around 30 million passengers/year and the project had to be carried out in a tight timeframe as a result, with the paving crew working 16 hours/day to meet the schedule. Ajax Construction has been using its G&Z S850 paver for the work, which was needed as the existing concrete surface on runway 4L/22R had suffered from an alkali silica reaction (ASR). The
January 25, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Equipment from G&Z has been used to rebuild a runway suffering from alkali silica reaction
A US contractor has employed equipment from 225 Guntert & Zimmerman to help carry out a runway rebuild at Detroit Metro Airport

The busy airport handles around 30 million passengers/year and the project had to be carried out in a tight timeframe as a result, with the paving crew working 16 hours/day to meet the schedule.

Ajax Construction has been using its G&Z S850 paver for the work, which was needed as the existing concrete surface on runway 4L/22R had suffered from an alkali silica reaction (ASR). The 3km long by 46m wide runway had to be replaced, using a total of 170,438m3 of PCC concrete. The 457mm of crushed aggregate base for the concrete runway was retained however as the base for the new concrete surface. The paver was used along with texture cure equipment from 218 GOMACO and Guntert & Zimmerman for the project as well as 2122 Trimble stringless machine control technology, so as to ensure the surface would meet the tight specifications of the runway project.

The runway was closed for the work and the old concrete was milled out to a depth of 432mm, along with 75mm of the 228m bituminous base underneath, leaving the 457mm crushed aggregate base untouched. Paving was carried out in multiple passes to a width of 5.7m, with 510mm dowel bars also being used. The project also called for full depth reclamation of the asphalt shoulders and their aggregate base structures, and their replacement with new layers. New 127mm deep asphalt shoulders were constructed on top of 228mm aggregate base structures on either side of the runway, along with underdrain improvements to optimise water removal after heavy rain showers.

Other work included installing new, high efficiency LED runway lighting for the resurfaced runway as well as new markings and security fencing.

There is still a portion of the work for the airport to be carried out in 2017 and this will involve additional paving for some taxiways and parking areas.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Meeting the challenge of desert runway resurfacing
    April 13, 2012
    Ferocious daytime temperatures can provide a tough challenge to construction firms working in desert conditions in Egypt's south. Despite the high daytime temperatures however, Egyptian contractor Orascom has managed to complete an airport project on budget and ahead of schedule, while meeting the client's tight specifications. The firm has just completed the project to revamp Suhag Airport in the south of the country. This airport now features a new runway, taxiways and aircraft hard standing, as well as n
  • U.S National Guard’s airport upgrade
    October 12, 2012
    In Kansas, specialist contractor Pavers has carried out important work for the National Guard. The aim of the work was to rehabilitate a WWII era hangar apron for the Kansas National Guard. The project required extensive repair work, including pavement patching, dowel bar retrofitting, partial depth patching and joint sealing. Pavers had to overhaul a 305m x 91.5m apron at Army Aviation Support Facility No 2 that suffered from poor drainage. The project included milling 152mm of old asphalt and concrete and
  • Concrete paving for key Interstate link in South Carolina
    November 15, 2013
    Concrete paving is being carried out on a key section of Interstate 20, close to the US city of Colombia in South Carolina Contractor Zachry Construction has had success using its Guntert & Zimmerman concrete slipformer for an Interstate paving project in South Carolina. The firm has been using the machine on the US$64 million project to resurface a section of Interstate 20, close to the city of Columbia.
  • Wirtgen group machines flying high at İstanbul Yeni Havalimanı
    May 21, 2018
    Plant and machines from Wirtgen, Vögele, Hamm and Benninghoven are playing a vital part in the construction of Istanbul’s new airport . Istanbul’s new airport is Turkey’s biggest infrastructure project ever. It is also expected to become the world's largest airport by estimated passenger numbers.