Norfolk, VA, US
In the fall of 2019, the first phase of a $15 million, multi-part runway rehabilitation project was completed at Norfolk International Airport. Years before the runway rehabilitation took place, airport personnel began noticing that the lights on the main commercial runway were out of grade tolerance. Efforts were then made to raise the lights by filling around and underneath the base of the lights. Maintenance crews continued to monitor and adjust the light bases until more extensive work could be done. Eventually, between late 2019 and early 2020, a large number of the runways were shut down so that they could focus on what needed to be done to get all aspects of the runway back to the required tolerances. The list of pavement work was long, consisting of concrete repair, concrete replacement, profile milling, survey work, correcting center grades, striping, seal coating, and crack sealing. Most importantly, all of the runway lights were replaced with a lighting system that is within tolerance.
In December of 2019, Portland Bolt manufactured the anchor bolts required for the light fixture being replaced on the main runway. The anchor bolts required were 2-1/4” diameter by 4 foot long rods with threads on each end. The grade of the anchor rods was ASTM F1554 Grade 55. In addition to the typical nuts and washers needed, there were also anchor plates required meeting ASTM A572 Grade 50 ranging from ¾” thick steel to 1-1/2” thick. Because of the exposure to the elements, the anchor bolts and hardware required were hot-dip galvanized per ASTM F2329. Since Portland Bolt not only manufactures the anchor rods in-house but also galvanizes in-house, this project was a perfect fit for our capabilities.
