OAK runway 12-30 rehabilitation

Perhaps one of the most impressive feats of 2017 at Oakland International was the resurfacing of the Airport’s primary commercial air carrier runway. The effort required two full weeks of around-the-clock construction and was completed while the Airport maintained full operations. The $67 million project replaced 8,300 feet of asphalt to provide a new operating surface for aircraft.

As Runway 12-30 is typically in service 24-hours per day, Port of Oakland staff conducted an extensive planning process with its air carriers, the FAA, and other stakeholders to develop a preferred short-duration, full-closure option to minimize impacts to aircraft operations.

OAK received a $37 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to rehabilitate the runway in June of 2017, adding to grant monies received in 2016.  The funds were provided via the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which allocates federal funding to U.S. airports.

A portion of the FAA funding was used to convert an existing taxiway into a temporary alternate runway, which is what allowed OAK’s flight operations to be maintained during the Runway 12-30 rehabilitation activities.

“We are pleased to deliver this newly repaved main runway for use by our aircraft operators. Many partners were involved in an extensive planning, collaboration, and coordination effort to execute such a critical project," said Bryant L. Francis, Port of Oakland Director of Aviation. “This important undertaking will ensure that our runway remains functional and safe for all users for many years to come.”

The Port of Oakland also conducted outreach efforts to local residents expected to be impacted by noise caused by the rerouting of aircraft during construction, and distributed over 600 movie tickets and Oakland A's tickets to airport neighbors over the two weeks prior to construction.

Runway 12-30's last pavement overlay occurred in 2001.