Thin Whitetopping at Fernandina Beach Airport

The thin whitetopping project at Fernandina Beach General Aviation Airport in north Florida is the largest whitetopping project in the southeast, and is the first 10-year warranted whitetopping airport project in the United States. The project includes a 152-mm (6-in.) concrete overlay on runway 8-26, 127-mm (5-in.) overlay on taxiway C, as well as 279-mm (11-in.) full-depth concrete pavement on the extensions of runway 8-26 and taxiway C. The existing asphalt pavement was severely cracked and rutted. A number of options were evaluated including asphalt overlay, complete reconstruction with asphalt, and thin whitetopping. The decision to use the thin whitetopping option was based on life-cycle cost analysis and its long-term performance. The whitetopping panels for the runway were 1.5 x 1.9 m (5 x 6.25 ft), and the taxiway panels were 1.2 x 1.2 m (4 x 4 ft). The design and specifications did not require surface milling except for grade adjustment to maintain uniform thickness for the whitetopping. Also, no sealing was specified for cracks in the existing asphalt or for whitetopping joints. Special emphasis was placed on timely saw-cutting of the joints. A specification that required a 5-year minimum guarantee was developed for the project. The contractors were given the option, with incentive, to extend the guarantee period to 10 years. All bidding contractors provided a 10-year guarantee for the whitetopping. The project was completed and has been in service since May 2003. The first condition survey in December 2004 showed excellent conditions and significant increase in load carrying capacity of the whitetopping.