Gary / Chicago International Airport announced the re-opening of its main runway earlier than previously scheduled. The $7 million-dollar runway rehabilitation began on May 1st, with the project replacing roughly 3,300 feet of asphalt runway to a more durable concrete grade and contractors completed the project a day prior than anticipated.
“We are tremendously proud we completed this project on time and under budget, especially given the significant weather conditions we faced earlier this month,” said Duane Hayden, Executive Director of the Gary / Chicago International Airport. “The earlier-than-anticipated completion of the main runway is a testament to strong project management and effective coordination as our team worked around the clock to complete these repairs.”
Project work crews worked 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, as weather allowed. The rehabilitation project also included raising the grade of the runway by 13 inches over its pre-rehabilitation height in order to reduce the presence of pooling water and upgrading the airfields electrical capabilities to better assist aviators, including raising edge lighting and centerline lights to new profile elevations.
“As the project required both runways be closed, we needed to finish the job as quickly as possible,” said Steve Sandefur of NGC Corp, the lead engineer and project manager for the rehabilitation effort. “By having multiple crews working around the clock, we were able to install the necessary 68,620 square yards of concrete on top of the old asphalt surface, which will substantially prolong the lifespan of the runway.”
On several days, upwards of 4,000 cubic yards of concrete was laid down daily, which necessitated the equivalent of approximately 400 concrete trucks servicing the project.
With this project now complete, the Gary / Chicago International Airport’s main runway – which at nearly 8,859 total feet is the largest in the region outside of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport – is now fully concrete, allowing heavier aircraft to utilize the airport. Previous rehabilitation projects providing concrete grading to the remainder of the runway occurred in 2015 and 2018.
