Extending the life of the runway

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Mariah Tolbert
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  There are many changes taking place on base, however one of the major changes will affect F-15E Strike Eagle aircrew members for the next 30 years.

Runway construction begins June 9 and is scheduled to be complete in the spring of 2013. The construction may affect flying hours now, but in the end, will prevent on-the-ground and aircraft wear and tear.

"There are currently seven, nine-day closures occurring thought out the next year," said Capt. Rob Lydon, 4th Civil Engineer Squadron deputy flight chief of programs. "Runway construction is taking place to perform long-term maintenance. The concrete is decades old and is beginning to show signs of wear and tear."

During construction, 1,206 slabs of concrete will be replaced; each slab is 625 square feet. This area is equal to 51 percent of the airfield, which includes the central and end portions of the runway.

The construction process is lengthy. First, Contractors will demolish the concrete slabs. Then a separate contractor will grade the underlying base and pour new concrete on top. Once it is settled, painting and stripping will finalize the project phase and the runway will be operational again, until the next nine-day closure takes place.

"There is a lot of coordination with airfield management, the 4th Operations Support Squadron, security forces and many more to make this happen," Lydon said. "Base gate hours have to be altered to accommodate 24-hour construction, augmentees are called in to help out security forces, closure dates have to be routed through the flying community: the list just goes on."

This does not only affect the Airmen on base but also aircrew and the aircraft who are grounded during this closure.

"Seymour Johnson will make repairs to parts of a runway that are more than 30 years old, extending our capability to provide airpower for several decades into the future," said Lt. Col. Paul Birch, 4th OSS commander. "While the runway is closed there will be no local flying from the 4th Fighter Wing or 916th Air Refueling Wing. However, three of our F-15E squadrons will position and fly aircraft from other Air Force bases during the airfield closure, and upgrading aircrew will continue with academic instruction and simulator missions at home station."

This may be a lengthy process however, in the end, it will make the runway last longer, prevent foreign object debris and allow for a smoother take off and landing for aircrew, said Michael Smith, 4th CES chief engineer.