After several years of planning and two summers of intense work, the runway repairs at Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) are now complete.
“I am really proud of how my team tackled this challenge. The outcome speaks volumes about the expertise of our people and our organization’s financial health, which made all of this possible," said Gaëtan Gagné, president and CEO of Aéroport de Québec inc.
All work was completed on schedule, and both runways are now fully operational.The lifespan of an airport runway is usually around 20 years.
The main runway (06-24) had been shut down since May 23, 2017. YQB teams rose to the challenge of completing the job in 80 days, despite unanticipated time pressures caused by a construction strike. Last year’s work had been to refurbish the secondary runway (11-29) and the area where the two runways intersect.In both cases, the airport remained open and operational for airlines and passengers during the repairs.
The work was necessary to ensure passenger safety. It also provided an opportunity to redo the surface drainage to prevent water build-up.In addition, navigation aids were replaced to improve aircraft guidance, and runway lighting systems were upgraded with LED lights.The upgraded lighting systems run on two parallel circuits, so pilots have visual cues even in a power failure.
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Runway repairs (2016–2017): a run-away success!
Resurfacing
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160,000 m2 of used asphalt to remove
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60,000 tonnes of asphalt
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2 plants (1 onsite) to meet demand
Drainage
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55,000 m3 excavated to redo the drainage system
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60,000 m2 of geotextile membrane installed
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3.5 km of concrete drainage pipe laid
Markers
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Over 80 km of cables
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88 new high-intensity LED runway lights
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New approach lighting as bright as the headlights of 45 cars