The $4.4-million extension of Runway 34R at Manassas Regional Airport—a "reliever" airport for nearby Washington Dulles International and Ronald Reagan National—required significant coordination among the project team and the airport's staff and tenants.

A portion of the work occurred within a 100-year floodway, and nearly the entire area fell within a floodplain. In some areas in which, typically, standard chain-link fence would have been constructed, crews installed heavy-duty floodgates instead. The gates replaced existing fencing that was susceptible to flood damage. The new floodgates allow debris to flow through the fenced areas without resulting in any damage.

Regulatory permitting and drainage coordination were required, from the federal to the local level, to ensure the 110,000 cu yards of off-site embankment needed for the extensions did not create an adverse impact.

During asphalt-paving operations, Superstorm Sandy hit the area with more than eight inches of rain during a two-day period. The team assessed the storm damage and agreed on a revised, accelerated construction schedule to ensure the extended runway and taxiway would be opened on schedule.

Construction included complex phasing in order to maintain operations. All work was completed for operational use in 140 calendar days.

Key Players

Owner Manassas Regional Airport, City of Manassas

Design Firm Reynolds, Smith & Hills

General Contractor Sargent Corp.

Subconsultants Whitlock Dalrymple Poston & Associates Inc.; Cervantes & Associates

Subcontractors Aacme General Contractors; Austin Electrical Construction; Branscome Paving Co.; Cardinal International Grooving & Grinding; Commercial Scapes; CTI Consultants; Eastern Clearing Inc.; Flora Surveying Associates; Hercules Fence; JKS Construction; Juanita Trucking; Muller Erosion Control; Speidel Construction; Strittmatter Inc. and Tavares Concrete Co.