en.Wedoany.com Reported - Pulice, a subsidiary of Flatiron Dragados, will complete the second and final phase of the $44 million 12R-30L runway reconstruction project for the Mesa Gateway Airport Authority (MGAA) in September. The project demolished and reconstructed a 10,401-foot-long, 220-foot-wide runway with 150-foot and 35-foot-wide asphalt shoulders on each side. Built in 1958, the runway was once part of the former Williams Air Force Base.
The first phase of the project, valued at $19 million, began in September 2024 and was completed in June 2025. The Pulice team reconstructed the southern half of the runway, laid an asphalt transition section to the northern half, and demolished old infrastructure. The second phase started in October 2025 and is expected to be completed later this year. Pulice officials stated that both phases will be finished ahead of schedule and under budget.
Airport spokesperson Ryan Smith told Construction Equipment Guide that 12R/30L is the longest runway at Mesa Gateway Airport and the primary runway for commercial use with the highest traffic frequency. The runway had reached the end of its service life, with some sections reconstructed in 2014 and 2015, while the middle section required ongoing partial repairs due to aging concrete.
The project was designed in 2023, with Dibble Engineering handling the runway design and Kimley-Horn & Associates designing Taxiway B2. The main scope of the second phase includes reconstructing the 4,500-foot northern half of the runway, applying new markings, installing new runway lighting, completing site grading and drainage improvements, and constructing Taxiway B2. The runway will be paved with 82,000 square yards of new Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP) and 40,000 square yards of new asphalt concrete shoulder pavement.
During runway demolition, Pulice used a remote-controlled T8600 Badger Breaker to significantly increase speed. Demolition subcontractor Antigo Construction crushed approximately 75,000 square yards of concrete. The T8600 is equipped with a 2-inch-thick, 8-foot-long, 12,000-pound hardened steel breaking hammer, delivering a breaking force of 16,000 pounds, striking 2-3 one-foot-long sections per minute, operating an average of 10 hours per day. Pulice Project Engineer Sujay More stated that the second phase rubblized the entire 72,000 square yards of PCCP in just seven days. Senior Project Manager Jeff Gergal noted that the machine broke through approximately 16-17.5 inches of the existing runway thickness.
Both phases involved closing the runway for rubblization, followed by removal of debris using excavators and articulated dump trucks. Equipment used included Cat 352 and 335 excavators with breakers, Cat motor graders with Trimble GPS systems, and Leica GPS systems from Pulice subsidiary McNeil Brothers. All precision was controlled to within one-hundredth of a foot.
Recycled materials were transported approximately 1.5 miles to the Pulice crushing yard, shared with a concrete batch plant and a Cement-Treated Base (CTB) plant. Gergal stated that no materials were removed from the site, speeding up operations and enhancing sustainability. A Kleemann MR130ZSI crusher was used in conjunction with a hydraulic breaker. Pulice Equipment Manager Abe Sharaf described adjusting the impact plate angle to meet different aggregate specifications.
Site Superintendent Jack Matheny oversaw grading work. The runway structural layers consisted of 8 inches of lime-treated subgrade, 6 inches of CTB, and 16 inches of PCCP pavement. The shoulders comprised lime-treated subgrade, aggregate, and 4 inches of asphalt. The batch plant used for CTB was a Rapid Mix 400C volumetric mixer with a four-hopper feeder. An Erie Strayer 12-cubic-yard concrete batch plant produced PCCP (without recycled materials). Concrete was loaded into Super 16 dump trucks and transported to the runway, where it was placed by a GOMACO GP-4000 slipform paver. Gergal stated that concrete was laid within 15 minutes of mixing, with a mix design developed over multiple projects targeting a 50-year service life.
To avoid extreme heat in Arizona, pouring schedules were carefully arranged: starting early in the morning, pouring at night during summer, or adding cooling water. A single shift could place 3,000 cubic yards of 16-inch-thick, 37.5-foot-wide PCCP. The site preparation team installed 20-foot by 20-foot saw-cut rebar cages (8 inches deep) with dowel bars (20 inches long, 1.25 inches in diameter) spaced 18 inches apart. Gergal noted that this allowed the concrete to withstand temperatures from 125°F to 10°F. Taxiways were reinforced with rebar mesh. The drainage system achieved positive drainage, flowing into a stormwater drainage system and then into retention basins.
Pulice stationed a full-time mechanic on site for equipment maintenance. Sharaf stated that due to handling abrasive materials, wear parts were consumed more quickly, requiring regular inspections and replacement of impact plates, among other components. The company maintains records and repairs for all assets and has capabilities for welding and addressing hose/hydraulic issues.
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