Denver International Airport (DEN) was recently awarded the ENVISION Silver Award by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) for a runway pavement rehabilitation and lighting upgrade project completed in 2023.
Specifically, this award recognized that the Runway 17L-35R Complex Pavement Rehabilitation and Lighting Upgrade project went above and beyond to deliver improvements to the social, economic and environmental conditions of DEN. The ENVISION framework covers 64 sustainability criteria addressing a wide range of indicators including: community, quality of life, management, planning, materials, energy, water, environmental impacts, emissions and resilience.
“We’re pleased that the runway rehabilitation and lighting upgrade project has been recognized by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure because the criteria to receive the ENVISION Silver Award are comprehensive and rigorous,” DEN CEO Phil Washington said. “This project touched on two core components of our Vision 100 strategic plan to serve 100 million passengers within the next few years: maintaining what we have, and sustainability and resiliency. To best prepare for the airport’s future and reach our goal of becoming the greenest airport in the world, it’s not enough to just replace aging infrastructure. We must also ensure we’re taking advantage of opportunities to also make improvements and enhancements that lead to safer, more sustainable outcomes.”
The rehabilitation project featured replacement of distressed concrete pavement panels, updating portions of the airfield electrical and lighting systems from incandescent to energy efficient LED, localized pavement friction improvements, relocating wind cones for improved operational safety, installation of CCTV units at touchdown zones for improved traffic control during low visibility, as well as installation of a runway weather information system for improved pavement friction reporting and snow removal operation forecasting. The concrete pavement for this runway complex was originally installed in 1998 and has been rehabilitated multiple times since initial construction. All concrete panels removed as part of this project were crushed for reuse on future construction projects at DEN.
The $43 million project was funded by Capital Improvement Plan funds and a $30 million Airport Infrastructure Grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This is the first time DEN has received the ENVISION award. DEN plans to seek additional ENVISION certifications on future Vision 100 projects.
