ForConstructionPros.com

A Boeing 747 jumbo jet can weigh more than 800,000 pounds at full capacity and have a takeoff speed of 180 miles per hour. Now imagine 350 aircraft of varying weight and speed operating on one runway daily.

With that kind of force hitting the pavement, the construction specifications for the runway must be strictly adhered to, and the contractor responsible for paving must do so with surgical precision.

If that isn't difficult enough, try to stay on time and under budget. Tilcon Connecticut Inc. did just that this past spring when it rehabilitated runway 6-24 at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT.

Tilcon Connecticut Inc. is a leading asphalt producer and contractor in New England. The company began in 1923 handling roadbuilding projects with only a steam shovel and has grown to become a statewide conglomerate of 23 locations and plants.

Tilcon produces not only asphalt but also crushed stone and ready-mix concrete. It has nine paving crews and assumes a majority of state contracts for the Connecticut DOT, such as highway roadbuilding and repair. One such state contract was Bradley International Airport.