Joint, repair and surface technology

Grooving on runway 11/29

Schwechat, Austria / 2016

With this order from August 2016, ÖBA made the airfield at Vienna Schwechat Airport a lot safer: to minimise the risk of jets hydroplaning during take-off and landing, grooves were cut into the asphalt at right angles to the direction of travel.

Photo: Night shot; numerous parallel grooves on an asphalt surface; in the background, a bumpcutter, hoses and a lorry with a trailer — © PORR

Facts & Figures

Company

ÖBA – Österreichische Betondecken Ausbau GmbH

Type

Joint, repair and surface technology

Runtime

2016

Principal

Flughafen Wien 2016 Consortium

Improving safety on the ground.

This technique, referred to by specialists as “grooving”, ensures that surface water drains more quickly. A special device called a “bumpcutter” was used. The ÖBA team worked in night shifts, and their high level of precision and coordination allowed this fascinating project to be brought to a rapid and successful close.

What ultimately counts in the construction business is successfully completed projects. PORR has many of these.

Photo: Bumpcutter at work during a night shift; section with 18 parallel grooves milled into the runway; four construction workers; a delivery van — © PORR

Photo: Construction worker checking the grooves milled into the asphalt by the bumpcutter — © PORR

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Photo: Construction worker with a joint cutter near a runway light on an asphalt surface that has already been grooved — © PORR

Photo: Fully grooved section of the runway by night; in the background, a lorry with a trailer, a van, and two construction workers — © PORR