Dillingham Airport Improvements

Project Details: The goal of this project was to improve runway safety areas (RSAs) at the Dillingham Airport. The expansion area required filling over swampy, peat-laden ground that was expected to settle. Nearly 200,000 square yards of geotextile was sewn together then reinforced with geogrid before the gravel was placed over the top. In many areas this gravel layer sank over 15’ below original ground before finally bottoming out.

Knik showcased their new fleet of lightweight tandem combination belly dump trailers to haul nearly 1,000,000 tons of material to the project. Material production took place at a gravel pit that crews developed over the previous winter. The trucking increased to a 24/7 operation once Knik supplemented its roster of truck drivers with local CDL holders. A Long Combination Vehicle “truck trainer” was brought in to work with each driver individually until they were proficient with the hauling equipment.

Knik also improved airport access roads, paved the blast pad, and constructed a large localizer platform which required driving large pile off the approach end of the runway. Crews installed nearly 10,000 feet of security fence and made many more improvements to the airport.