Altus reopens runway

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Leandra D. Stepp
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. - --  A reopening ceremony was held for a recently repaired runway Nov. 14, 2011, after the eastern runway received a complete overhaul to help ensure the safe and timely completion of the training missions at Altus Air Force Base.

Every few years the pavement degrades and a complete mill and overlay of the runway is eventually needed. During the repair process, the top two-to-three inches of the surface are removed, creating a rough exterior to which newly poured asphalt can bond to.

"The reopening of this runway is incredibly important. The students who learn to land on this runway eventually depart from here to circle the globe fueling the fight and delivering hope," said Col. Anthony B. Krawietz, commander of the 97th Air Mobility Wing. "I am so appreciative of the Airmen assigned to the Civil Engineer Squadron, Corp of Engineers, Airfield Management, Dunnick, and other teams who diligently worked the past year helping to complete this project."

Along with the asphalt repairs, a new Assault Landing Zone lighting configuration was added to the repaired runway, which will serve as a backup ALZ.

"Before this project was implemented, the pavement had deteriorated and left rubber deposits, causing a foreign object disposal problem. When this occurs, the runway has to be shut-down frequently for repairs," said Anthony Bunch, 97th Operation Support Squadron airfield manager. "With the new pavement, the risk for these types of problems is greatly reduced."

The installation of the new lights is specifically designed for short field runways. If the primary ALZ is not available for use, the lighting in the newly repaired runway allows pilots to use this area to continue their training.

Along with increasing safety, the new upgrades also gives the base the ability to operate and control more aircraft in the airspace of Altus AFB. The installation had been using a single runway and with the amount of training being conducted can lead to pattern saturation.