Slip Paving PCCP Concrete at Buckley Air Force Base Runway

In order to reconstruct portions of Buckley Air Force Base’s Runway 14/32, provisions first had to be made to keep the F-16’s flying. The solution was to temporarily move flight operations to DIA. While the Buckley south runway end was reconstructed, IHC Scott built a new arresting system and constructed a cantonment area. The DIA runway was closed for 14 days to allow for these construction activities.

​Built in 3 sequences, construction began by closing 2,600’ of the runway’s south end. This phase included the placement of a new BAK-14 Arresting System. The next sequence removed and reconstructed Taxiway Kilo and the F-16 parking Apron. The final sequence completely closed the runway and was allowed 90 days to remove and replace the last portion of the runway and finish tie-ins with taxiways and aprons. The north end of the runway was lowered 7’ to match elevation. One of the project’s biggest challenges was the dirt. In precise technical terms, the Base Civil Engineer explained that the soil is all expansive clay and “like walking on snot” when it gets wet. 85 days after closing, the new runway was open and the F-16s returned home.

​Over the project duration, 38,593 CY of concrete were removed, crushed, and re-used in the project, 27,499 tons of asphalt millings were spread and placed on Vehicle Service Roads, and 200 tons of metals were recycled. IHC batched and placed 61,625 CY of PCCP, and over 270,000 tons of aggregate materials were imported, in addition to the on-site recycled materials.

​The Runway 14/32 replacement encompassed 83,745.5 man-hours with no accidents and was the recipient of the CO/WY Chapter ACPA concrete paving award for Commercial Service and Military Airports.