DOVER AIR FORCE BASE – More than 200 members of Team Dover and the local community attended a ribbon cutting ceremony Sept. 23, 2016, on the flightline behind the 436th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department on Dover AFB. Those in attendance included several U.S. senators, local government members and members of the 436th Airlift Wing, 512th AW, 166th AW and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.
The ribbon cutting ceremony commemorated the completion of Phase II of runway construction and celebrated the effective partnerships between various organizations at every level of cooperation that culminated in the successful conclusion to this phase. It featured static C-5M Super Galaxy and C-17A Globemaster III displays, which were made available for viewing and tours, and concluded with the touchdown of a C-5M and C-17A, the first to land on the newly reconstructed Runway 01-19.
This runway closed Feb. 2, 2015, for a complete renovation intended to extend its lifespan an additional 50 to 75 years with proper maintenance and upkeep.
The construction project reached a stage in which the intersection of both runways required maintenance in February 2016, temporarily decreasing Runway 14-32’s effective length from 12,900 to 6,000 feet, limiting the operational capabilities of Team Dover’s C-5M Super Galaxy fleet. For eight months, the C-5M fleet was temporarily moved to JB MDL to ensure the continued success of the Air Force’s global mobility mission. A contingent of C-5 maintainers and other support Airmen plus their equipment operated at JB MDL during this time.
With the reopening of Runway 01-19 these Airmen and assets will be able to return to Dover AFB.
To date, prime contractor and sub-contractor construction crews have placed more than 220,000 cubic yards of concrete materials, installed 1,040 lighting fixtures with 209 miles of cable, moved 51 acres of dirt, installed 5,000 linear feet of box culvert and placed 123,000 square yards of asphalt. Most of the concrete pouring was conducted during the night.
Though the runway has reopened, runway construction is not yet complete.
As the construction moves into Phase III, Dover AFB’s shorter Runway 14-32 will close to allow construction on a portion in close proximity to Runway 01-19 as well as several taxiways.
All construction is slated for completion during the summer of 2017, ending the 28-month long, $112 million construction project.
Image Credits: USAF