Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) has broken ground on its $309m extension of the north-south 16/34 runway.

Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson is the military facility of the US Army in Anchorage of Alaska.

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Runway 16/34, one of two on Elmendorf Field, will be expanded by 2,900ft to lengthen the runway to 10,000ft, while the southern threshold of the runway will move 400ft to the north to meet the requirements of the airfield design.

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy said: “This project reflects the importance of expanding our capacity and capabilities to project power into the Pacific Theater.”

US Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska district colonel Damon Delarosa said: “Quite literally, the runway extension project will require us to move a mountain of nearly 12 million cubic yards of excavation,” Delarosa said. “This material is equal to about 800,000 dump truck loads. If parked bumper-to-bumper, those vehicles would stretch from JBER to San Antonio, Texas.”

Delarosa considers this to be the biggest Pacific Air Forces construction project awarded so far.

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Major excavation work is expected to commence on 2 November. The contract is slated to finish in September 2025.

Main contractor Kiewit Infrastructure and several contracting partners will complete various works, such as excavation, asphalt paving, utility piping, laying of electrical and communication line, and batching and placing concrete, and many more in the coming four years.

Kiewit Infrastructure Alaska area manager Pat Harrison said: “We estimate this project will require over 650,000 craft-hours to complete, which translates to about 156 man-years given the construction schedule.”

Currently, Runway 16/34’s length restricts the operational capacity of flying missions for large-frame aircraft, especially during extreme weather.

The project will also see expansion of the two parallel taxiways; addition of an arm/disarm pad; upgrading the airfield lighting and the instrument landing system; rerouting Airlifter Drive around the north end of the extension; relocating airfield perimeter fencing; and reconfiguring utility services in the region.
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Image: The contract will complete in September 2025. Credit: Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.