During the rehabilitation of Runway 06L/24R at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), crews rebuilt the runway to extend its life, prioritizing environmental sustainability during construction to reduce GHG emissions, and furnished sustainability upgrades for a long-lasting impact.
During repaving, the crews crushed and re-used concrete from the original runway, relied on an on-site concrete batch plant to shift reliance away from carbon-emitting transport trucks, and worked with only two 3.7-m (12-ft) paver machines to minimize construction-related carbon footprint. They also replaced 1800 incandescent lights with LED lights to reduce environmental footprint and lower maintenance costs.
The eight-month-long rehabilitation project is one of the largest in YYZ’s history and required careful planning and coordination, which began over a year-and-a-half ago, to ensure safety and minimal disruption for passengers and nearby communities.
The Honourable Omar Alghabra, Federal Transport Minister, joined the airport’s operator the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) president and CEO Deborah Flint, along with local elected officials, the many GTAA teams responsible for the rehabilitation, and representatives from Dufferin Construction and Avia NG (engineering consultancy specializing in airports) recently gathered at the runway for a ribbon-cutting to mark the re-opening.
“It’s great to see the reopening of Runway 06L/24R after eight months of rehabilitation,” said Minister Alghabra. “As the busiest airport in Canada and one of the busiest in North America, the return of this runway at Pearson Airport will keep air passengers moving safely and smoothly in and out of the GTA. As the air sector continues to move through post-pandemic recovery, investments like this one in our transportation infrastructure will help us ensure that we maintain a vibrant and competitive Canadian air sector.”
“This runway is more than a marvel of modern engineering, as amazing as it is,” said Ms. Flint. “It paves the way for the next 30 years of YYZ stimulating Canada’s economy by facilitating trade, foreign direct investment, tourism and business. This runway is more than a place where planes land and take off; it’s emblematic of a brighter future, both for Toronto Pearson and Canada through the global connections and economic activity it enables.”
