Newark International Airport Runway Extension Project Incorporates Results of Current Pavement Research

The rapid growth of both domestic and international flights at Newark International Airport has resulted in record aircraft operations, straining airfield capacity. To improve capacity and reduce delays, Runway 4L-22R, the primary departure runway, needed to be extended from 2,500 to 3,350 meters (8,200 to 11,000 feet). During 1998, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the airport operator, launched an ambitious program consisting of extending Runway 4L-22R (completed in 1999), resurfacing Runway 11–29, and construction of associated taxiways and aprons. While under construction, Runway 4L-22R remained in operation accommodating up to 700 aircraft daily. The program design included special requirements to facilitate construction and ensure satisfactory, long-term performance of the constructed product including the following elements: 1) Dividing the program into smaller projects to expedite design and construction 2) Pavement design using the FAA's layered elastic design procedure 3) Complicated staging to minimize the impact of construction on operations 4) Swales lined with stone designed to reduced suspended solids from entering the drainage system 5) Uniformly graded aggregate in the Portland cement concrete 6) Stone-rich asphalt concrete mixes containing performance graded binders 7) Open-graded, asphalt-stabilized base under the Portland cement concrete pavement 8) Portland cement concrete air content and water/cement ratio criteria that must be met to qualify for payment incentives for quality concrete 9) Smoothness correction criteria These design enhancements resulted in a high-quality constructed product, which was completed on schedule and will provide excellent, long-term performance.