CAA: GA News, "Tennessee Airport Will Be Test Bed for 'Ultrathin' Runway Topping"

["Stephen Irwin" <Stephen.Irwin@pmail.net>]

Friday, April 14, 2000

TENNESSEE AIRPORT WILL BE TEST BED FOR ‘ULTRATHIN’ RUNWAY TOPPING
GA News


SAVANNAH, Tennessee — It sounds like something that goes on a dessert rather
than on a slab of asphalt. Still, ultrathin white topping, a form of
concrete used on highways, may be a sweet solution for deteriorating runways
at airports around the country.

Tennessee is about to put the theory to the test. Using federal research and
state DOT grants, the Aeronautics Division is preparing to repave the
5,000-foot runway at Hardin County Airport (SNH) in Savannah with the
high-tech topper. It marks the nation’s first aviation application of the
poured concrete process.

Tennessee Aeronautics Director Fred Vogt is spearheading the project.

“I heard about this process, and I saw some applications at (highway)
intersections,” Vogt said. “They get wear and tear when trucks put on
brakes. I said, ‘Why wouldn’t this work on a runway?’ and once we had that
thought, we started looking at it.”

Poured in squares that are separated by expansion joints, the ultrathin
white topping can be laid directly over asphalt, obviating the time and
costs of removing old asphalt. It can also take more stress than larger
slabs of concrete. (“Ultrathin” refers to anything less than six inches
thick; the airport runway will get a four-inch layer.) And while the process
is initially more costly, the concrete is expected to far outlast asphalt.

“You know, if it pans out, we think we’ll get 20 years out of this asphalt,”
Vogt said. “I think we’re looking at two to three times more use with this.
The downstream costs amount to a considerable savings. We won’t overlay this
runway (again) for quite a while. We’re hoping that spending 50% more (in
construction) will save 150% in the long run.”

The airport, located near the Alabama and Mississippi borders, was selected
because of its high use. Local sponsors will fund 10% of the project, which
is priced at $1.1 million for construction and $250,000 for design work. The
airport will remain open during the majority of the construction period,
which is scheduled to begin this month and continue through the summer. At
one point it will be closed temporarily, though no closure dates have yet
been determined.

Recognizing the potential advantages, aviation officials from around the
United States have expressed interest in the project, Vogt said.

“I’ve already heard from a number of states that want to come up and watch
this,” Vogt said. “This is new; it’s innovative. No one has done this before
with a runway.”

Rather than using FAA money, the federal portion is financed with a research
grant, as is the state’s share. Vogt credits state DOT Commissioner J. Bruce
Saltsman for his support for the program.

“We were able to convince DOT in Tennessee to make this a research project,”
Vogt said. “This makes sense since we’re called ‘transportation’ and not
just highways; we’re a total transportation department.”


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