SFO Runway 28R-10L

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Golden Gate Constructors Role: Construction Manager/General Contractor

Client: City and County of San Francisco

Location of Project: San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Francisco, CA

Project Dates: August 2020 – December 2022

By the Numbers:

- Contract Value: $127,000,000
- 120,000 TN of Asphalt
- 100 Tarmac Directional Signs
- 2,000 Runway and Taxiway Lights
- 2,000 FT of Drainage Pipe
- 60 Miles of Cable for Tarmac Lighting

San Francisco International Airport continues airfield improvements with the rehabilitation of its longest runway, 28R-10L. The 2 ½ mile long, 200-foot-wide runway has been updated to meet modern FAA standards by Golden Gates Constructors, a joint venture between DeSilva Gates Construction and Graniterock Construction.

Due to decreased travel activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, airport officials chose to accelerate the runway rehabilitation project, originally scheduled to take place in 2022. Golden Gate Constructors worked closely with airport officials and subcontractors to formulate a revised construction schedule to complete the major phases of the rehabilitation of Runway 28R-10L and associated taxiways work in a six-month period, beginning April 2021 and completed by Labor Day 2021. During four of those months, crews worked around the clock in two shifts, amounting to more than 170,000 man hours to reach this milestone completion date on the project.

To accommodate two active perpendicular runways and an intersecting taxiway, the construction zone of Runway 28R-10L was split into three sections. Construction started on the East end and moved West with crews simultaneously working on both sides of the active runways. The project involved grinding existing runway and taxiway surfaces, full depth pavement removal for partial reconstruction of taxiway areas, followed by paving and asphalt overlays which included 120,000 tons of asphalt, equivalent to 3.5 million square feet or 75 football fields. Close collaboration with subcontractors allowed for successful installation of nearly 100 tarmac directional signs, 60 miles of cabling for tarmac lighting infrastructure, roughly 2,000 runway and taxiway lights, and more than 2,000 feet of drainage pipe.

Double D Transportation played an integral role in orchestrating the off haul of grindings and importation of material while navigating tight security requirements and construction protocols set by the airport. At the peak of production, more than 1,000 deliveries were made on the airfield each day to meet the project’s demanding schedule requirement and to reopen the runway.

In an effort to reduce delays and cancellations caused by the runway construction, our team worked to streamline each aspect of the project from site preparation to paving operations and beyond to phased finish work. Runway 28R-10L was reopened on August 19, 2021, and will serve the 59 airlines who operate out of SFO to 86 U.S. cities and 12 international destinations.

Link to Project Feature on ABC 7 News: https://www.ktvu.com/video/950333