A Case Study: Keel Section Reconstruction of Runway 08L-26R the 29 Day Wonder at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (H-JAIA) is the world’s busiest airport, handling approximately 104 million passengers in 2016, serving 70 international and 150 domestic cities. A total of five (5) parallel runways provide landing and takeoff operations, measuring from 9,000 to 12,390 ft in length. One of the runways, 08L-26R, 9,000 feet long was constructed in 1984 and has been in service for 30 years, well beyond its design life. Due to pavement deterioration and other distresses, the City of Atlanta made the decision to reconstruct this runway. 110,000 square yards of concrete pavement was removed and replaced on a 29-day, fast-track schedule. Replaced section constituted of 16 in. of Portland Cement Concrete on 6 inches of cement treated base and 6 in. of soil cement. New section consists of 20 in. of Portland Cement Concrete on 2 in. of asphalt leveling base, after milling the existing 6-in. CTB. Overall scope of the project was to remove and replace the keel section leaving in place the outer slabs and following the existing joint layout. A project cost of $38 million was accomplished with a minimized schedule which in turn translates in to significant savings and reduced impact on aviation operations.