Case Study for the Planning, Design, and Construction Phase of Runway 13R-31L at John F. Kennedy International Airport

At 14,511-feet long, Runway 13R-31L is the longest runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and the second-longest commercial runway in North America. The runway's last major rehabilitation was in 1993. In anticipation of the next major repaving contract, and the need for JFK to maximize the efficiency of its runway and taxiway system, a multi-year program was initiated. The first step of this program included the development of a conceptual plan for the runway and associated taxiways to minimize delays and have the runway system conform to FAA Design Group VI standards. Using the conceptual plan a Constructability Study was performed that investigated traditional hot-mix asphalt (HMA) rehabilitation as well the placement of a Portland cement concrete (PCC) overlay on top of the existing HMA surface, and included life-cycle costs, staging options and construction durations. A series of briefings were held with the airlines and the FAA to present the study's findings and to get their buy-in to the final plan. Development of the contract documents to widen the runway to 200 feet using (PCC) and to construct the new taxiways followed the completion of the Constructability Study. A series of peer review meetings as well as a contractor's workshop were held during the development of the contract documents to ensure that all elements of the construction were addressed. In June of 2009, this contract was awarded. Construction of a test section was completed in November 2009, and a series of lessons learned meetings followed. On March 1, 2010, the runway was closed to operations for reconstruction. Construction is scheduled to be completed in November 2010, with a significant portion of the runway returned to service during the summer of 2010. This paper presents a case study covering the planning, design and construction of this significant project.