Optimizing Gravel Runways

Gravel runway dust control

Eliminate dust, add strength, and reduce life cycle costs by 50%.

Gravel runways and dust are an unhealthy partnership and an unnecessary one given how easy is to ensure maximum gravel runway dust control. Private airstrip to local airport to commercial multi-runway operations, an assist from Midwest is all it takes to control dust and preserve fines on gravel runways.

Wherever gravel runways are untreated:

• Harmful dust impedes pilot vision, irritates the eyes and lungs of those on the ground
• Increases the need for aircraft and ground-vehicle maintenance
• Threatens both the environment and your compliance with regulatory standards

Treated by traditional dust control methods like water, a gravel runway’s lifecycle is shortened, its upkeep more expensive, and its safety compromised.

Midwest’s Gravel Runway Program was established to mitigate and, where possible, eliminate these problems by improving gravel runway surface integrity through a process called fines preservation.

We use proven, environmentally-safe products developed in our own lab to lock and bind surface aggregate fines together and prevent traffic from releasing them as dust. With Midwest’s Gravel Runway Program in operation, costly gravel replacement will become a dim memory.

Fines Preservation Fast Facts

• Reduces runway life cycle costs by an astounding 50%
• Raises CBR for pavement-like strength and a smooth long-lasting runway
• Reduces gravel spray and rolling resistance
• Reduces dust by 80% for up to four years
• Saves two to five cubic meters of fines at every takeoff
• Cuts runway lifecycle costs by $40,000 a year

Beyond dust – the plain truth about planes

What’s wrong with traditional dust control methods?

Valuable fines preservation services