Pearson Airport runway ready for takeoff after $80M makeover

If you've taken off or landed at Toronto's Pearson Airport since the spring, you've seen a giant construction site out your tinyplane window.

Crews have been ripping up and rebuilding Runway 06L/24R, the second busiest runway at the airport and one of the busiest in Canada. Instead of planes, the three-kilometre long stretchhas been packed with excavators, loadersand dump trucks.

Closedsince early April, it reopens Friday.

Simon Ho has been overseeing the $80-millionrehabilitation projectone of the biggestin the airport's history.

"It's an incredible feat," saysHo,a project manager with theGreater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), as asymphony of construction equipment whizzes by him paving, spreading and compacting asphalt on the final stretch of runway.

The air reeks strongly of tar and asphalt, while planes roar overhead every minute or so.The ground rumbles beneath Ho's feet bothfrom the construction and the aircraft.

The rebuildis not far from one of Pearson's active runways, which Ho's team had to carefully consider. Crews must stay a certain distance away from the planes.Ateam of sweepers has to continually clearconstruction dust and debris. One of the major worriesis stray objects getting sucked intoaircraft engines.

Ho'sstill trying to wrap his head around just how massive the runway is, even though he's been working on it for months now.

"You just kind of get the sense thatyou don't belong there," he said. "When you're standing there, that's where you really realize this thing is huge."

Runways need special asphalt

The renovated runway,one of five at Pearson, was built in 1960s. It has been worn down by decades of weather and planes landing on it.

Crews have beenbuildingit back up from its base andwere able to recyclepieces of the old runway.

But you can't just use regularasphalt you see onhighways. It's specialtyasphaltfor airports with jet fuel resistanceand the abilityto hold anaircraft's weight, over and over again.

• LISTEN |Here and Now heads onto therebuiltrunway:

The airport says the closure did not contribute to the chaotic delays it experienced over the summer when it held the title for the highest number ofdelays in the world, according to the flight tracking serviceFlightAware.

"It really didn't impact too much of the overall capacity through the airport because it was just careful planning," says Stuart Bricknell, in charge ofengineering, architecture and construction for the GTAA.

He says that included working with airlines and NavCanadatospread outflight schedules more.

Bricknelllikes to geekout overplanes taking off, stopping to take pictures and call out the type of plane (his favourite is still the Airbus A380). So he's excited to havethe runwayback in action.

"There are no test runs," he says."The first plane that lands on it will be the test run."

He's hoping the air traffic controllers will let the pilot know they are landing on a brand new runway.

"I'd be very, very excited to be landing in that first plane."