Associated Asphalt’s premier airport asphalt binder, StellarFlex FR® led the way in last year’s efforts to ensure the Lynchburg airport’s viability and apron safety for decades to come.
The runways of Lynchburg, Virginia’s Preston Glenn Airfield (LYH) are quieter than the high-traffic tarmacs of Boston’s Logan International and New York City’s LaGuardia, but local airport leaders knew they needed the same high-quality pavement used by these airports to ensure continued flight safety. The regional airport serves the area with twelve inbound and outbound commercial flights through American Airlines in addition to private aviation, taking over 68,000 passengers to AA’s primary hub in Charlotte, North Carolina. Its two runways, 7,100 feet and 3,386 feet in length, see over 85,000 aircraft operations per year and tons of jet fuel and avgas.
In February 2020, the city of Lynchburg advertised a rehabilitation project as conceived by Delta Airport Consultants using the latest in airfield bituminous technology, P404 Fuel Resistant Asphalt. W-L Construction & Paving won the bid and contracted with Boxley Materials of Lynchburg to produce the 1,600 tons of hot mix needed to completely resurface the airport’s apron. Associated Asphalt worked closely with Boxley Materials to provide 125 tons of StellarFlex FR (fuel-resistant)® binding material, which meets the FAA asphalt binder specification for P404.
After paving a successful test strip of the composite on October 3rd, W-L Construction & Paving commenced full production on October 5th, with Lynchburg Regional Airport becoming the proud owner of an international airport-grade tarmac that will save thousands of dollars as the years go on.
Associated Asphalt’s StellarFlex FR® is a resilient, yet flexible binding agent that mixing facilities can add to their hot mixes without any additional equipment, making on-site or local processing a cost-effective alternative to surfaces that require special facilities. Its convenience doesn’t come at the cost of durability; during development, it undergoes simulated conditions far more severe than average use. These include elastic recovery and separation stress tests as well as a 24-hour Marshall specimen immersion in jet fuel. After a full day of immersion, StellarFlex FR® lost a mere 1% of its weight, while a sample of regular regulation asphalt dissolved away 10% of its weight in a similar solution!
Are you looking to ensure your airport’s tarmac longevity and integrity for years to come? Grab our brochure on how StellarFlex FR is the industry’s leading for airports and contact us to get a project started today!