![]() ![]() "We got rid of all the built-up algae that made the markings very difficult to see."Īfter cleaning the concrete, Hi-Lite repainted all the markings using standard waterborne paint. "We went in with 20,000-psi water pressure machines and cleaned nearly 3 million square feet of surface," reports Brad Dunn, the company's Southeast Division manager. "Our runways had never been cleaned in literally 70 years," notes Mills.īKV contracted Hi-Lite Markings for the job. And about three years ago, the airport decided to clean its airfield and remark the runways and taxiways, which average 5,500 takeoffs and landings each month. The accumulated dirt and dark algae eventually made it tough for pilots to distinguish the airfield markings. Fueled by the hot, humid Gulf Coast weather, the growth became so severe that BKV's concrete runways looked like asphalt, recalls Airport Supervisor Rob Mills. Severe blue-green algae have long plagued Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport & Technology Center (BKV) in Florida. "So as it wears away, and aircraft go across it and snow plows go across it, a new layer of beads will come up." "The beads are embedded throughout the material," he explains. Reflective glass beads are incorporated into the preformed thermoplastic markings, adds Barentine. Total closure time is from two to four hours, and traffic can resume in the area 15 minutes after application, Brooks notes. They then roll out a preformed marking (which includes a red background, white inscription and black trim) and apply it to the sealed pavement by heating it for 60 to 90 minutes with infrared equipment in 16-foot-wide sections. He figures that if EWR gets seven years' of life out of its markings, HOT's markings should last 10 years, due to milder winters and lighter traffic.īefore preformed thermoplastic markings are installed, crews first apply a sealer to the substrate surface to function as a bonding agent for the markings, explains Brooks. The performance at EWR makes Barentine optimistic about HOT's anticipated replacement interval. "Those markings now lasted 14 times the life of paint, because they paint twice a year," he reasons. If such airports applied preformed thermoplastic markings, they wouldn't have to go back and repaint every year, he adds.īrooks cites the Ennis-Flint markings applied at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in 2006, which are still functioning seven years later, as an example of the product's longevity. "The cost is minimal when looking at the longevity of the product," says Chris Brooks, sales director of specialized markets for Ennis-Flint.Īirports that should repaint every six months often stretch their interval to a year because of budget constraints, Brooks relates. Personnel from Ennis-Flint, the company that provided HOT's new markings, note that although preformed thermoplastic markings cost four to five times more than painted markings, they are designed and engineered to last eight to 12 times longer. The eight thermoplastic markings crews have already installed cost $7,000 each and the airport is planning on installing another six, for a complete replacement of all 14 painted markings. HOT had to dig deep into its pockets for a fix. Unusual soil or pavement conditions - and even weather - can quickly turn pavement markings that look good into a "do-over." The disappointing experience at HOT is not as unusual as most airport operators would hope. "It looks great and the color, thus far, has held up amazingly." "We're very impressed with the thermoplastic," Barentine reports. Preformed Thermoplastic Markings: Ennis-Flintīecause the Arkansas airport wanted to solve the problem instead of simply repainting, officials opted to install preformed thermoplastic markings just 11 months later. ![]() ![]() Respective Markings Issues: Algae fading rust discoloration Project: Applying & Maintaining Airfield MarkingsĪirports: Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport & Technology Center Hot Springs Memorial Field Naval Air Station Patuxent River "Even when you looked at them in the daytime, the markings had a faded color to them." factsfigures "Six months later, the red had turned to pink because of the sun," recalls Barentine. Operations Supervisor Glen Barentine was thrilled when crews painted 14 new surface hold position markings on the taxiways at Hot Springs Memorial Field Airport (HOT) back in January 2012.
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