Concrete results Published July 24, 2006 By Staff Sgt. Drew Nystrom and Elizabeth Wier 55th Wing Public Affairs OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- Since May, Offutt has been a little quieter due to the ongoing $19.8 million runway project which will repair normal wear and tear done by years of constant airfield operations. The construction efforts of over 100 contractors are underway around the clock in an effort to complete the project and return normal air operations to the base by early November. According to David Irwin, a member of the 55th Civil Engineer Squadron, work preparations, grading, and removal of old runway materials is accomplished during the daytime hours and paving and resurfacing work is done at night to better allow the concrete to cure. Major repairs were last done on the runway during the mid-1990s, but some sections of the runway haven't been replaced in nearly 50 years. Most of the work up to this point has concentrated on the removal of materials and the preparations for pouring the new sections of concrete. Nearly 2,000 cubic yards of concrete are being removed daily in order to make way for the new runway sections. Mr. Irwin said that seven percent of paving operations are complete and with the paving tempo scheduled to move from four to five days a week obvious progress will be evident soon.