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Paving the road to better infrastructure

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ty-Rico Lea
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The 325th Civil Engineer Squadron is working on a paving project spanning from Dec. 15, 2014 to late January, 2015.

"Some of the roads on base haven't been resurfaced for 20 or 30 years. They tend to get cracked because of temperature changes," said Eddy Henry, 325th CES construction representative. "Because of where we are, the ground and subsurface is kind of soft and the roads get damaged over time so all that old stuff has to be taken off and resurfaced."

The 325th CES engineering flight is comprised of military, civilian contractors and Department of Defense civilian employees.

"It varies how often road work is performed on base," Henry said. "We constantly analyze pavement conditions on base and assign priorities for repair based on those conditions. Repair projects are prioritized and awarded based on available funding from Headquarters Air Force."

Airfield pavement is another task accomplished with the supervision of the squadron. The 325th CES works with other agencies to make residents aware of any disturbances or hindrance to daily tasks on base.

"Effective coordination with agencies for airfield pavement work is the key to successful execution," Henry said. "Not only do we have to coordinate with agencies on the flightline, but we also have to take into account the mission that pilots and other aircraft must accomplish."

The material used to pave the Tyndall roads is asphalt. Civil engineer officials choose this material as it is also a means to save the Air Force money.

"Concrete on most occasions requires reinforcements like mesh or metal rods," said Mary Barber, 325th CES civil engineer. "We choose asphalt as a foundation for road construction since it is a more flexible material and less expensive than concrete."
After asphalt is driven over numerous times, and requires work, it's easy to just overlay the damaged areas, Barber added.

Cost for current road work for Airey Ave. to Mississippi Rd. is estimated to be $850,000.

"I just want to say that the base populace has been more than cooperative while we work with contractors here," Henry said. "This project is going to make big improvements for everyone who drives on Tyndall and we are excited to see this work being done."