News

Runway christening

Col. Manson Morris, 436th Airlift Wing commander, brings a C-17 Globemaster III in for a landing on runway 14/32 at Dover Air Force Base, Del., June 5. Colonel Morris made the first take off and landing on the newly reconstructed runway. The runway reconstruction project included demolition of the existing runway and repaving a total distance of 13,800 feet, the equivalent of nearly 12 miles of 4-lane freeway. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jason Minto)

Runway christening

A C-17 Globemaster III, piloted by Col. Manson Morris, 436th Airlift Wing commander, lands on runway 14/32 at Dover Air Force Base, Del., June 5. Colonel Morris piloted the inaugural flight to utilize the newly reconstructed runway, which was turned over from the contractor to base officials June 5. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jason Minto)

Runway reconstruction complete at Dover

Published June 2, 2009
By 2nd Lt. Adam Gregory
436th AW Public Affairs

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- Dover Air Force Base officials are scheduled to accept runway 14/32 June 5 after almost 17-months of runway reconstruction efforts.

The project involved demolition of the existing runway and repaving a total distance of 13,800 ft, the equivalent of nearly 12 miles of 4-lane freeway. Aircraft will resume operations in their previous flight path, something not seen since reconstruction began.

Construction of the runway was completed by TolTest, Inc., of Maumee, Ohio, with work beginning January 2008. The final contract value of the project was $54.8 million with more than 200,000 logged hours.

"During an almost 17-month construction period, Airfield Management and Air Traffic Control personnel successfully mitigated operational impact by developing real-time workarounds, simultaneously ensuring uninterrupted runway construction and 24/7 flying mission success," said Col. David Horton, 436th Operations Group commander.
The completion date became increasingly important due to the 2009 Open House and Air Show. Dover will be welcoming 150,000-200,000 people to base June 20-21 for this major community event.

"Planning for the Open House has been going a lot smoother now that we know we will have two operational runways," explained Maj Theresa Pisano, 2009 Dover AFB Open House director.

In order to accommodate the construction schedule, a concrete batch plant was set-up on site to expedite concrete work. Crews demolished 329,119 square yards of material. Existing concrete pavement was crushed and graded on-site and reused as aggregate in the construction of runway shoulders, overruns and staging areas.

The project was completed with zero lost-time incidents, high certification standards and positive relations with all counterparts.

Team Dover's mission was not disrupted by the construction. During the month of March, the aerial port processed more than 22,000 tons of cargo, the largest one month total since Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

"Ultimately, this runway upgrade adds a critical new dimension to the mission readiness of Dover Air Force Base and its benefits will be felt for decades to come," said Colonel Horton.