GPS Performs on Runway Project
BY Larry Trojak
Using enhanced GPS-based milling technology, The Crisdel Group completes Newark runway project 20% early
When an aviation crisis at Newark Liberty International Airport reared its head in the spring of 2025, travel into and out of the nation’s busiest airline corridor was severely impacted. Issues with air traffic control staffing and electronic systems was compounded by an inopportune closing of one of the airport’s runways for reconstruction, resulting in a dramatic spike in flight delays and cancellations, as well as overall safety concerns by the traveling public.
While general contractor The Crisdel Group, in charge of the reconstruction effort, could do nothing about the ATC problem, it certainly could do its part to help alleviate the runway-related scheduling issues. To do so, it used an innovative GPS-based solution for the milling facet of the paving operation, a move that helped the company complete the time-critical project 13 days ahead of schedule.
The Crisdel crews milled and paved more than 467,000 square feet of runway and taxiway.
Major Upgrades
On the runway side of things, EWR features two, 11,000-foot, north-south structures (4L and 4R) which undergo regular rehabilitation to ensure smoothness and durability for the roughly 460,000 flights that come in and leave each year. According to Chris Walsh, one of Crisdel’s surveyors, the job, officially known as “Runway 4L-22R Rehab,” included a range of upgrades.
“In addition to milling/paving more than 467,000 square feet of runway and taxiway, there were updates for the edge lights and stop bar lights, airfield signage was converted to LED lighting, and the electrical infrastructure was improved,” he said. “All that work was done by Con El, a local electrical contractor. Preliminary work for us began in March but really took off on April 15 with a 60-day total runway shutdown.”
With runway 4L-22R being EWR’s busiest runway for departing flights, the impact on airport operations was significant, lending added urgency to Crisdel’s already tight schedule. The company looked for the most expeditious way to get the job done and determined that streamlining the milling workflow was the answer.
Put Away the Paint
The means to that end, Crisdel found, was Topcon Millimeter GPS, a solution that utilizes a series of laser transmitters to establish a grade control zone, which is acquired by a receiver on the mill. That information is then decoded to establish a precise, millimeter grade, vertical position anywhere on the job site and set the depth of the milling drum accordingly. According to Walsh, it changed the complexion of the project from the outset.
“Without Millimeter GPS, the workflow would have been much different out here,” he said. “We would first have had to go out and, using a rod/data collector, lay out what’s called a ‘grid on grade,’ in which we create a 25-foot grid, then mark each segment of the grid with the proposed milling depth. Obviously, that is a labor-intensive, time-consuming process. Instead, a digital file with all that info was loaded into the control box of the milling machines—we have two mills working out here—and the mill knew the precise depth to cut. It was a huge improvement in productivity, easily shaving several days off the process.”
Crisdel used the 2D paving solution—a P-32 screed control box used in conjunction with sonic trackers—to get required smoothness results.
Jim Cleary, the owner of Cleary Machinery, the area Topcon dealer, said that, while he’s outfitted many customers over the years who used the Millimeter GPS solution, he was impressed by the level of confidence Crisdel placed in it.
“Most customers I’ve worked with—even though they are relying upon the millimeter system—will still paint numbers on the ground,” Cleary said. “Not so for Crisdel. They did all the milling without any paint on the surface. They had complete trust in the system and have been rewarded for it. The accuracies they got early on—100% within ½-inch and 90% within ¼-inch—bear that out.”
A Numbers Game
The FAA-sanctioned specifications for both milling and paving were understandably tight. For the milling facet of the project, Crisdel committed to a “Mill to Provide” of 3 inches. Similar to what is often called variable-depth milling, it essentially means that milling needs to be 3 inches below the determined finished grade.
“It is not just a full-on 3-inch run,” Walsh said. “We were provided a TIN file by our survey company, with varying grades from every part the project. We simply told our mills—a pair of Wirtgen W250i units—to cut to -0.25, which is 3 inches below finished grade, and they adjusted. It worked out great; the numbers we got were far better than even The Port Authority specified.”
Compaction at EWR was handled by Crisdel’s fleet of high frequency vibratory tandem rollers.
Collaboration
Perhaps the only thing more constant than solid performance at EWR during the rehab project, was the presence of Cleary. The 30+ year veteran equipment dealer with an extensive history of airport work prides himself on ensuring that his customers have access to his expertise.
“It’s no secret that the Topcon solutions I bring to my customers represent some of the finest equipment in the business,” Cleary said. “But things happen on job sites and when they do, I like to be available to ensure that any impact on my customer and their operation is minimal. So, it sometimes appears as if I’m always on site. In fact, I’ve had customers tell me, ‘It’s almost like you’re part of the crew.’ That, to me, is the highest praise anyone could ask for.”
Crisdel’s Walsh will attest to the value of support they get from Cleary and his team. “Jim is always on point, and if we need something, he’s there,” Walsh said. “It really doesn’t matter: time of day, if he’s in the middle of anything, whatever—he’ll get us the solution or the answer that we need. That’s huge for us.”
Upgrade is in Order
As alluded to above, Crisdel’s milling success lent itself to excellence in the paving portion of the Runway 4L-22R Rehab. Using a pair of Cat AP-1055E pavers, each equipped with an upgraded paving solution, the company achieved smoothness and solid production rates.
“Shortly before the runway job kicked off, Crisdel was still running an older Topcon paving solution,” Cleary said. “Wanting to take advantage of current technology without investing in an entirely new system and having redundant components, we talked, and I was able to connect them with an upgrade program offered by Topcon. That program allowed them to retain part of their older system while benefiting from Topcon P-32 automation technology—it was a perfect fit.”
Using Topcon Millimeter GPS to improve the overall milling and paving operations saved more than 20% project time.
Crisdel used the 2D paving solution—a P-32 screed control box used in conjunction with sonic trackers—to get the aforementioned required smoothness results. The system’s high-contrast control box shows the screed man the slope and elevation information on one or both sides of the screed, then follows through with fully automatic screed control.
Compaction at EWR was handled by Crisdel’s fleet of high frequency vibratory tandem rollers. Though hampered by a series of rainy days, Crisdel still managed regular production rates of 2,000 tons per paver/per day.
“I attribute a lot of our success here to the outstanding team that put in long days to get the job done as quickly as we did,” Walsh said. “But there’s no denying that the ability to create such an accurate milled surface played a key role as well. This runway was last rehabbed in 2014, so the need for an upgrade was definitely there. We will be leaving them with an excellent product.”
Crisdel used the 2D paving solution—a P-32 screed control box used in conjunction with sonic trackers—to get required smoothness results.
Green Runways
Success in achieving sustainable practices—as they relate to airline travel—is the result of many small efforts. Keeping airport runways and taxiways in peak operating condition is a part of those efforts.
Studies show that aircraft ground operations, taxi/runway movements being one of those, account for nearly 8% of total aircraft emissions, which is several times the amount of all other airport emissions combined.
In addition, when companies like Crisdel use technology like Topcon Millimeter GPS to improve the overall milling/paving operation of a project, less time is spent working on the runway (in this case more than 20% less time) and fewer trucks are needed to haul asphalt in and out, reducing vehicle emissions. And since better application of the asphalt generally yields reduced material volumes, demand on area asphalt plants is also lessened.