Solution
The city selected Burns & McDonnell to perform design-bid-build services for Runway 17-35, which began with runway length justification to determine FAA funding participation.
The original length of the runway extended 7,851 feet. Upon examination, the FAA provided reconstruction funding for the south 5,500 feet of the project, and the city chose to reconstruct the remaining north 2,351 feet of the runway separately so that the full length would not be lost. Our team worked with the city and the Kansas Department of Transportation to obtain the funding required for the south part of the runway.
The design for the north section of the runway included new 5-inch asphalt pavement on a 10-inch aggregate base with a treated subgrade. The original asphalt overlain pavement system was removed, which had consisted of 3 inches of asphalt above 7 to 10 inches of original concrete.
Construction phasing on the project was necessary, to allow airport operations to continue uninterrupted. A two-phased approach with a displaced threshold was utilized during reconstruction at the intersection of the crosswind Runway 11-29. The design and cost-benefit analysis determined reconstruction with an asphalt pavement section was the right approach to allow for the future ability to increase pavement strength if required for growth in airfield capacity. This also matched the north section with a 4-inch milling and asphalt overlay.
