Groundbreaking marks beginning of new runway

  • Published
  • By By Senior Airman Jason Hernandez
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  A groundbreaking ceremony at base operations marked the beginning of a new runway project here June 1.

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will head the $103 million project to replace the majority of runway 22.

The 53-year-old runway is deteriorating and poses an increasing foreign object damage threat to aircraft, said James Judkins, director of the 95th Civil Engineer and Transportation Directorate.

"The alkali and the silicate in the concrete itself is interacting to form a paste," Mr. Judkins said. "When it gets wet from moisture in the air, it starts to expand and cause cracks. Basically, the concrete begins to crumble on the top. If an aircraft engine sucks up a piece of concrete, the damage is almost as expensive to repair as replacing the runway."

It costs $500,000 a year to pay personnel to search for loose portions of runway and pick it up, he said.

"We will first build a temporary runway halfway between the ramp and the main runway," said Maj. Gen. Curtis Bedke, Air Force Flight Test Center commander. "Once it's complete, we will tear up and replace the bad portions of the old runway. Once that is done, we will shift operations back to the new runway. It remains to be seen what we will do with the temporary runway after the new one is complete."

The main runway is 15,000 feet long and 19 inches thick, while the temporary runway will be 12,000 feet long, Mr. Judkins said. Planners are hoping to have the temporary runway done by the end of 2007 and should begin rebuilding the old runway in 2008.

"The entire runway except one section, which is 150 feet wide and 2000 feet long, will be replaced," Mr. Judkins said. "That section was replaced in the fall of 2001 at the end of the runway. Aircraft park there to run their engines and take off. The cost was $5 million to replace that section."

Strict specifications will ensure the new runway will not be prone to the same problems, he said.

"The main challenges involve scheduling the work around the mission requirements here," Mr. Judkins said. "We're also going to have 150 to 200 large trucks a day coming on to the base with the materials required to make the runway. We're very committed to safety and will be watching it closely."

Turn lanes will be built at two intersections for the trucks to prevent accidents, he said. One of these intersections is on Shuttle Road, a dirt road that intersects with Lancaster Boulevard near the runway.

The trucks will come down Lancaster Boulevard from the West and South Gate, Mr. Judkins said. Only a few will come in through the North Gate. When the trucks leave the airfield, the turn lane will give the trucks the opportunity to safely get up to speed with traffic.

"We don't want anyone to get hurt," he said. "An accident also slows down the contract. We must complete the asphalt portion by November to December."

The groundbreaking ceremony celebrated the culmination of 12 years of planning for the runway project, Mr. Judkins said.

"The operations here affect everyone in the Air Force," General Bedke said. "The Marines, Army, Navy, Coast Guard and the whole joint operating team is counting on us. We need to keep up the same operational tempo during this major construction project. With a team like this, I am convinced we will."