Matt over at NYCAviation has a great article reporting on the runway renovation at JFK. We’ll all be very glad when it is done, and it appears to be on scheduled. Here are some highlights we gleaned from his article. For more check it out here.
- 3-mile long Runway 13R/31L, known as the “Bay Runway,” handles about 40% of JFK’s annual takeoffs
- The new runway will be 14,575 feet, 200 feet wide, and made of 18-inch thick concrete and will last forty years.
- Closed from March 1st to July 1st as working on nights and weekends, the job would have taken four years with continuing disruptions
- Airlines are maintaining winter schedules during the spring to accommodate this.
- The runway was cordoned off with 2.5 miles of perimeter fence, separating it from the secure area of the airport and eliminating mandatory searches with each trip.
- Miles of access roads were constructed to keep trucks off the taxiways
- A Cement Plant was constructed on the grounds to produce over 4000 cubic yards of concrete a day. To keep the project going, a backup cement plant was constructed.
Fascinating stuff.