Off Peak Construction: King County International Airport/Boeing Field (BFI), Seattle, WA
King County Airport Diagram
Boeing Field is one of the busiest non-hub airports in the U.S. In the 12 months ending on 31 December 2006, Boeing Field experienced 299,793 air operations (only 9,790 of which were air carrier operations) and is the home to significant air cargo services and, most notably, the Boeing Company’s 737 aircraft flight-test program and commercial delivery center. There are two runways, 13L/31R and 13R/31L of which 13R/31L is the longest at 10,000 ft and the only one long enough to handle Boeing’s 737s. Boeing Field needed a runway overlay to correct settlement that occurred during the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake (magnitude 6.8). User costs were estimated at $30,000 for each hour the runway was closed for paving and repairs. While nighttime construction was considered, the estimate was for about 140 nights of work, which would have increased project time from 1 to 2 years and significantly increased costs. Additionally, it was thought that a full runway closure would lead to higher quality paving because of longer paver pulls, fewer transverse joints and more consistent production. This situation made Boeing Field’s runway 13R/31L a good candidate for a full closure instead of a series of nighttime offpeak closures.