Runway, Carlisle Lake District Airport
Product
Hanson Airfields asphalt
Volume
15,000 tonnes
Main contractor
J Hopkins (Contractors) Ltd
Overview
Hanson Airfields asphalt has been used to resurface the runway at Carlisle Lake District Airport.
Project description
Hanson Airfields, a hard-wearing specialist material for runways, has been supplied to the regional airport at Carlisle for use in both the binder and surfaces courses.
The product has been designed to meet the requirements of current BAA and Defence Estates Airfield Specifications for runways, aprons and taxi ways.
Unlike most traditional methods used for UK runways, the 15,000 tonnes of Hanson Airfields was produced at two off-site plants, saving the time and costs associated with having to establish an on-site asphalt plant. Producing the mix off-site also helped to meet the project’s tight design to output programme.
Hanson worked with bitumen supplier Shell on testing and approving two versions of the surface and binder course design mixes for the contract, which also included supplying 8,000 tonnes of standard heavy-duty binder course to main contractor John Hopkins Contractors.
Hanson Airfields was laid with conventional equipment by the contractor. Tight technical controls at Hanson’s Keepershield plant in Northumberland and Shap plant in Cumbria – and on site – ensured all material was supplied and laid in line with airfield specification requirements. This included taking frictional measurements from the surface using the pendulum tester to check the skid resistance properties of the grooved runway surface.