HAWAII'S REEF RUNWAY: AN OUTSTANDING ASPHALT PROJECT

The world's largest offshore runway has recently completed three years of heavy duty at Honolulu's International Airport. Built on 13.8 million cubic meters (18 million cubic yards) of coral dregged from nearby reefs, the 3660 m (12000 ft) long runway was designed to: reduce aircraft noise in nearby communities, increase the use of wide-bodied aircraft, and improve safety by routing traffic away from built-up areas. The runway pavement consists of a 12.7 cm (5 in.) thick asphalt concrete surface course, following by a 17.8 cm (7 in.) thick asphalt-stabilized base course and as 23 cm (9 in.) asphalt emulsion primed subase over a compacted subgrade. Vibratory rollers were used both for the subgrade compaction and on the pavement. So far, the asphalt paved Reef Runway has exceeded expectations and is proving of great value to the community environmentally and commercially.