Regenerated runway: Overhaul of Russian runway in time for summit

A runway renovation project at Pulkovo international airport, just south of St Petersburg, Russia, involved slipforming more than 53519 m³ of reinforced concrete runway. Pulkovo is Russia's third largest airport, which handled 4.2 million passengers last year. Contractor, Centrodorstroy JS Co., used the Gomaco paving train, consisting of a PS–2600 placer/ spreader, four–track GHP–2800 with Auto–Float, and a T/C–600 texture/cure machine, to complete the concrete paving in three months. The new concrete runway is 60 m wide and more than 3.2 km long and thickness varies between 280 to 300 mm. Paving passes with the GHP–2800 measured 7.5 m wide and concrete for the project was mixed on site in two portable batch plants.

A spokesman for Gomaco said, “A total of 12 dump trucks with a capacity to carry between 8 to 12 m³, hauled concrete from the batch plants to the PS–2600 placer/spreader. Paving production averaged 1 m per minute, with the highest daily production reaching 1200 m³.”

According to the spokesman, the Pulkovo Airport is now able to accommodate all sizes of airplanes, including the A380 and Boeing 787. It is the first airport in Russia with this distinction.