Innovative and Sustainable Runway Rehabilitation at Niagara Falls International Airport

Runway 10L-28R is the main runway at the Niagara Falls International Airport (NFIA) and is critical to the operation of the airport due to the airport’s use by the New York State (NYS) Air National Guard, the United States Air Force (USAF) Reserves, and the recent re-entry of scheduled commercial air carrier operations. A January, 2011 technical pavement assessment indicated that the runway had less than 5 years of structural and functional remaining life due to sections being deficient of thickness and various surface distresses witnessed. The distresses included but were not limited to: reflective cracking, spalling, and surface raveling of the asphalt concrete (AC) surfaced Portland cement concrete (PCC) or asphalt on concrete (APC) pavements. The deficient AC surface material was defined as the primary cause of the excessive foreign object debris (FOD) found on the runway and was generally caused by aggregates raveling out of the surface. Other pavement issues included non-standard longitudinal profiles and cross-section slopes changing from a center crowned section to a continuous cross fall from one side to the other. The airport also required the installation of a centerline and Touchdown Zone Lighting System (28R end) per a recent Master Plan Study. This paper will discuss the rehabilitation strategies considered, cost analysis findings, the decision process for utilizing sustainable methods such as rubblization and the use of milled/recycled asphalt as a P-209 leveling base course, the construction test results, and a follow-up evaluation of the pavements to review their performance after two full winter seasons.