Summers Concrete Contracting Inc. initiated operations on Aug. 5, 2025, for the $24 million reconstruction of Runway 6-24 at Columbus Airport (CSG), one of the airport's two runways.
The goal is to provide better support for large and heavy aircraft to land and take off and to expand its infrastructure to meet increased demand. The airport at 3250 West Britt David Road serves as a regional and public-use facility for Muscogee, Russell and Harris counties, as well as Fort Benning.
Crews are removing the 6,997-ft. asphalt runway and replacing it with a concrete one.
The brief project is being financed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and Georgia's Transportation Investment Act Program (TIA) funds.
"Due to decades of wear and tear and underlying storm drainage issues, the asphalt runway will undergo a comprehensive rebuild," said Sonya Overton, CSG director of marketing and air service development. "The reconstruction comes following an in-depth geotechnical assessment that included site reconnaissance, soil test borings and sampling evaluations. The findings concluded that a complete runway overhaul is required."
The project includes the removal and replacement of the asphalt surface and base materials, installation of a new longitudinal drainage system and the replacement of storm drains beneath the runway.
"When the runway improvements are complete, we will see increased safety and operational efficiency," said CSG Director Amber Clark, "but, just as importantly, we'll be positioning Columbus for the future. These upgrades will allow us to better support large aircraft, create opportunities to expand passenger air service and open the door for new cargo business, all of which contribute to the growth of our regional economy."
Project planning began in late 2022 following an FAA inspection that identified the need for improvements. Environmental review work started in mid-2023, design began in late 2023 and the bid process opened in late 2024. Construction began in August 2025.
"The availability of Runway 13-31 means the airport can continue to support ongoing aircraft operations throughout the project," Clark said. "Having a secondary runway is vital to keeping the airport functioning safely and efficiently, even while major improvements are underway on the primary runway."
During construction, the runway will be closed, suspending all commercial, military and large general aviation operations.
Construction at an airport is never easy, especially when it involves a runway.
"One of the greatest challenges of rebuilding a runway at a working airport is maintaining safe and uninterrupted operations," Clark said. "Careful coordination, phased construction planning and constant communication are critical to making sure both flight operations and construction activities can proceed safely and efficiently."
The project is designed for 24/7 operations.
"This approach ensures we can complete the work within the planned 103-day timeframe while minimizing the overall impact on airport operations," Clark said. "Utilities have not posed an issue for this project. As with any reconstruction, we do encounter some unexpected conditions in the soil or subsurface, but these have been minor and are being addressed quickly without significant impact on the project.
"The relationship between the contractor and the airport has been very positive," she added. "We view them as true partners in this project, and that partnership is built on constant and clear communication."
Summers planned to remove the existing 14 in. of asphalt and base quickly so that the succeeding work could begin as soon as possible.
"We accomplished this by utilizing Villager Construction with two milling machines and four crews to work 22 hours per day for the first six days," said Bradley L. Mullis, Summer's vice president/estimator. "This allowed us to begin critical path work, such as the soil cement base construction and concrete paving early in the project. Challenges specific to the asphalt demolition had been managing the trucking and stockpiling of the asphalt millings to facilitate continuous operation of the milling machines.
"Night operations obviously create challenges also. The construction of a parallel haul route utilizing some of these asphalt millings has been key to removing this truck traffic from the runway footprint to allow the other orders of work to progress without the disruption caused by up to 400 dump trucks per day."
The asphalt demolition was completed on Sept. 12. The final asphalt pavement demolition, which started on Sept. 23, is the intersection of Runway 6-24 with Runway 13-3.
The demolition operation is generating approximately 92,000 tons of material. All that material will be recycled.
Villager used two Wirtgen Model W220 Fi milling machines to accomplish the task.
Gordy Construction Co. is performing the underdrain and storm drain work.
"Underdrain placement was performed at the edges of the runway and asphalt demolition was performed adjacent to the underdrain," Mullis said. "The edges were then milled as the underdrain progressed. With the exception of the runway intersection, Gordy completed the underdrain Sept. 11, which was the same day as was originally planned."
Columbus Airport and Holt Consulting Co., the engineer of record, determined that two main runway cross drains required replacement.
"Being up to 26 feet deep, both 42-inch Class V reinforced concrete pipelines required extensive planning and execution by Holt, Gordy and Summers," Mullis said. "The successful construction of these storm drain systems was critical so that runway construction could progress without delay. Most of the storm structures were precast by Foley Materials.
"Over 95 percent of this work is complete, with some poured-in-place structures being the only work remaining."
Operators used excavators, loaders and bulldozers for the task.
Meticulous planning is key to the concrete paving operation.
Summers began stockpiling stone and sand from Foley Materials in early June, two months before the runway shutdown.
Summers is using two Cemco Model 300 central mix concrete plants and a GOMACO 2800 paver with a GOMACO spreader to pave the lanes.
"This will require four lanes to obtain the required 150-foot width," Mullis said. "The paving challenges are typical of any FAA project, as the specifications and requirements are very strict as it relates to the quality of the pavement."
The schedule calls for the completion of all concrete paving operations in early November, which will facilitate the opening of Runway 6-24 on Nov. 27.
The specifications require 650 flexural strength concrete, which requires 600 lbs. per cubic yard of cementitious material to meet strength requirements. The initial cure for construction activities takes three days, with required strength typically reached in 14 days.
Holt's design requires 12 in. of soil cement base under 16 in. of concrete pavement.
A 100-ton chiller and tank were required to maintain mix temperatures below 90 degrees as per specifications.
"Paving operations are planned for early morning due to the afternoon heat," Mullis said. "We are paving the runway from the 24 end towards the 6 end."
Summers Concrete's management team includes Project Manager Rhett Woolard, Concrete Paving Superintendent Brad Lay, Grading Superintendent Joe Davis, Concrete Paver Superintendent Jon Hidbrader and Concrete Plant Manager Mitch Mays, with on-site assistance from Mullis.
Typical days include 80 personnel on site.
Summers Concrete Contracting was responsible for the demolition, grading and concrete paving.
Other subcontractors are Evergreen Siteworks (soil cement), Gordy Construction Co., Dent Trucking (material supply and hauling), TCA Electrical (airfield electrical), Herndon Inc. (erosion control and grassing), Hasco (paint marking) and Cardinal Grooving and Grinding (runway grooving).
New materials consist of 89,000 tons of concrete and storm aggregates, 22,000 tons of cement and fly ash, 16,000 linear ft. of underdrain and 1,300 linear ft. of storm drain. CEG
