Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD A RUNWAY
Runways are subject to extreme forces on a daily basis and are in constant use. Newcastle International Airport is used by almost 5 million passengers each year. The largest aeroplane to use the airport is currently the Boeing 777 with a maximum weight of around 300 metric tonnes. Even though the landing weight is slightly less, at around 240 tonnes, the impact of daily forces that the runway is exposed to on landing are extreme. This means that runways need to be extremely robust. Both the aggregate and bitumen binders used to make the runway surfaces also need to resist chemical attack from de-icing agents that are used each winter to keep the runway free from ice.
SCOPE OF THE WORK The 2.4 km long, 45-metre-wide runway would be replaced in sections over a series of planned night closures. The entire surface course of the runway would be replaced, with deeper reconstruction of the binder course and surface course in the central 20-metre-wide section of the runway where the most trafficking and stress occurs. In all, 34,000 tonnes of new asphalt would be laid over the course of the programme. New LED lights would also be installed in the runway – around 1,000 lights in total and approximately 35 kilometres of electrical cable.
HIGH SPECIFICATION SURFACE
Delivering the required quality of runway surface would need not only quality-controlled materials, but exceptional paving to deliver the required finish. Again, this required extensive planning and preparation to make sure that everything proceeded smoothly including dress rehearsals as part of the off-site and on-site trials. To deliver the structural performance and durable water and frost resistant finish, the new surface needed to be dense and low in texture with minimal voids. To help remove surface water the specification required 4mm square lateral grooves to be milled into the new surface, spaces at even 25mm intervals. Completing this process while maintaining a robust surface, free of loose aggregate is challenging and requires skill and experience.
QUALITY ASSURED ASPHALT PRODUCTION
To achieve the quality of the finish required, the asphalt for the runway surfacing would need to be consistent and arrive at the correct temperature for optimal paving and compaction. It would be supplied from Tarmac’s Barrasford Asphalt Plant and from another mobile plant on the airport site. Once paving work started there would need to be a continuous supply of asphalt until work was completed.
PRECISION PLANING AND PAVING
Achieving the necessary tolerances required by the client and the consulting engineer needed a high level of skill and experience from National Road Planing and Tarmac’s North East & Scotland Pave team and drawing on the latest equipment and technology. National Road Planing used high precision computer-controlled milling to plane out the old surface and provide an accurate, level base for the new surface. Echelon paving, using two paving machines working in parallel would be used for speed of construction and enable seamless hot jointing of the surface to provide the faultless, high-quality finish needed for the new runway. Temperature sensors were also used on rollers to enable optimal compaction of the surface while the asphalt was hot and minimise air voids. Both Tarmac Pave and NRP were able to draw on the experience and learning from other high profile paving projects such as resurfacing the new Silverstone race circuit, completed in 2019, which also required detailed planning of logistics and close collaboration to deliver an exceptional finish.
TEAMWORK AND COORDINATION Achieving such a great quality finish within such a limited time window, requires exceptional work and cooperation at all levels. Around 100 people were on site while work was taking place with around 80 plant vehicles delivering a steady supply of asphalt to paving teams and removing asphalt planings from the old runway for reprocessing and re-use elsewhere. Many more staff were involved in quarrying and grading the aggregate and producing the asphalt itself. Working closely with the engineering team at Newcastle Airport and with the consulting engineers AECOM was also critical to the successful execution of the project.
EXCEPTIONAL CLIENT RELATIONSHIP
Tarmac has a proud 30 year history of working in partnership with Newcastle Airport and has built a strong relationship of trust over thirty years, having been appointed to the last three times the runway has been resurfaced in 1994 and 2008. This relationship is based on a mutual trust and excellent long-term working relationships at all levels built over decades.
#airport
#asphalt9
#construction
WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD A RUNWAY
Runways are subject to extreme forces on a daily basis and are in constant use. Newcastle International Airport is used by almost 5 million passengers each year. The largest aeroplane to use the airport is currently the Boeing 777 with a maximum weight of around 300 metric tonnes. Even though the landing weight is slightly less, at around 240 tonnes, the impact of daily forces that the runway is exposed to on landing are extreme. This means that runways need to be extremely robust. Both the aggregate and bitumen binders used to make the runway surfaces also need to resist chemical attack from de-icing agents that are used each winter to keep the runway free from ice.
SCOPE OF THE WORK The 2.4 km long, 45-metre-wide runway would be replaced in sections over a series of planned night closures. The entire surface course of the runway would be replaced, with deeper reconstruction of the binder course and surface course in the central 20-metre-wide section of the runway where the most trafficking and stress occurs. In all, 34,000 tonnes of new asphalt would be laid over the course of the programme. New LED lights would also be installed in the runway – around 1,000 lights in total and approximately 35 kilometres of electrical cable.
HIGH SPECIFICATION SURFACE
Delivering the required quality of runway surface would need not only quality-controlled materials, but exceptional paving to deliver the required finish. Again, this required extensive planning and preparation to make sure that everything proceeded smoothly including dress rehearsals as part of the off-site and on-site trials. To deliver the structural performance and durable water and frost resistant finish, the new surface needed to be dense and low in texture with minimal voids. To help remove surface water the specification required 4mm square lateral grooves to be milled into the new surface, spaces at even 25mm intervals. Completing this process while maintaining a robust surface, free of loose aggregate is challenging and requires skill and experience.
QUALITY ASSURED ASPHALT PRODUCTION
To achieve the quality of the finish required, the asphalt for the runway surfacing would need to be consistent and arrive at the correct temperature for optimal paving and compaction. It would be supplied from Tarmac’s Barrasford Asphalt Plant and from another mobile plant on the airport site. Once paving work started there would need to be a continuous supply of asphalt until work was completed.
PRECISION PLANING AND PAVING
Achieving the necessary tolerances required by the client and the consulting engineer needed a high level of skill and experience from National Road Planing and Tarmac’s North East & Scotland Pave team and drawing on the latest equipment and technology. National Road Planing used high precision computer-controlled milling to plane out the old surface and provide an accurate, level base for the new surface. Echelon paving, using two paving machines working in parallel would be used for speed of construction and enable seamless hot jointing of the surface to provide the faultless, high-quality finish needed for the new runway. Temperature sensors were also used on rollers to enable optimal compaction of the surface while the asphalt was hot and minimise air voids. Both Tarmac Pave and NRP were able to draw on the experience and learning from other high profile paving projects such as resurfacing the new Silverstone race circuit, completed in 2019, which also required detailed planning of logistics and close collaboration to deliver an exceptional finish.
TEAMWORK AND COORDINATION Achieving such a great quality finish within such a limited time window, requires exceptional work and cooperation at all levels. Around 100 people were on site while work was taking place with around 80 plant vehicles delivering a steady supply of asphalt to paving teams and removing asphalt planings from the old runway for reprocessing and re-use elsewhere. Many more staff were involved in quarrying and grading the aggregate and producing the asphalt itself. Working closely with the engineering team at Newcastle Airport and with the consulting engineers AECOM was also critical to the successful execution of the project.
EXCEPTIONAL CLIENT RELATIONSHIP
Tarmac has a proud 30 year history of working in partnership with Newcastle Airport and has built a strong relationship of trust over thirty years, having been appointed to the last three times the runway has been resurfaced in 1994 and 2008. This relationship is based on a mutual trust and excellent long-term working relationships at all levels built over decades.
#airport
#asphalt9
#construction
