Why Do Airport Runways Cost So Much To Build?
It’s a daunting 580+ pages of minutiae, but that’s kind of the point. Building a runway is even more complex than building a major highway/motorway, which has similar demands in terms of the need for an extremely well engineered surface, high levels of quality control in the materials used, and superior drainage. Runways, once constructed, must be capable of being kept in good repair for many years, including periodic removal of accumulated rubber and other foreign matter and at least one or two major resurfacings. However, it also is understood that runways can in effect “wear out” over time, and may require complete removal and replacement with a new multilayered runway in its place.
