The two sections of the Lima runway are among the airport’s most heavily used traffic areas. To ensure that air traffic can continue to be handled safely and efficiently in the future, PORR Verkehrswegebau resurfaced the runway, including the entire lighting system, and brought the infrastructure up to the latest technical standards.

The particular challenge was that, once the night-time operational break began, every step of the work had to be executed flawlessly. As soon as the last aircraft had taken off, construction machinery, concrete lorries and asphalt crews rolled in. Just a few hours later, the area had to be fully reopened so that flight operations could commence on time for the first landing of the day.

As part of the construction project, PORR carried out all the work as a single contractor, from earthworks and roadworks through to the asphalt and concrete layers and the restoration of the perimeter areas. In total, around 10,000 m³ of unbound layers were laid, more than 16,000 m² of asphalt surfaces were constructed and 8,500 m² of concrete road surface were laid. At peak times, the team processed up to 1,000 m³ of fresh concrete or 2,000 tonnes of asphalt during a single night shift.

Working in step with air traffic

Precise logistics were crucial to the project’s success. The concrete, produced at night, was transported to the construction site on schedule and poured immediately. Modern control and logistics systems ensured that the tight deadlines were met.

With its many years of experience in airport construction, PORR has once again demonstrated its expertise in complex infrastructure projects under the most demanding conditions. For several years now, the company has been carrying out a wide variety of construction projects at Frankfurt Airport, thereby making an important contribution to the modernisation of the airside areas – often whilst most people are asleep.