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       Turners Falls Municipal Airport in Montague, Massachusetts has undergone changes to its winter operating schedule in recent years, creating challenges in maintaining airport operations.
       Airport manager Brian Camden said the airport had only seen a few small winter storms in the past few years. The only storm we had this year melted within hours of hitting the ground.
       ”There’s been more ice than snow lately,” he said. “A lot of the storms we’ve had have resulted in freezing rain and icy roads instead of snow. This year, there’s been more of that than actual snowfall.”
       The main problem facing Turners Falls Airport is ice and snow accumulation on the runway. Camden said the problem is related to the snow accumulation that often occurs after snow storms in New England.
       ”If we have a lot of snow, we try to remove it in batches,” he said. “That way we don’t have to do all the hard work at once.”
       At Sawyer International Airport in Gwen, Mich., workers were pleased with the amount of snow that fell last season. Sawyer Airport Manager Dwayne Dooley said the average winter snowfall in the area is 180 inches, but by the end of February, that number had been exceeded.
       ”There will never be a normal winter again,” he said. “Winter has changed dramatically in the last few years.”
       Part of the problem, Dury said, is the FAA’s RCAM policy, which is difficult to implement in the region. Airports use sand to increase traction, but RCAM does not allow sand to be used to significantly increase the number of people.
       They also used New Deal runway de-icer, which he said had worked well since its introduction.
       In late February, Sawyer was hit by a snowstorm known as a “hurricane bomb,” Dooley said. The area was hit by strong winds of up to 60 knots, which combined with a foot of snow and rain during a sudden weather change to create ice about an eighth of an inch thick.
       ”We had a very unusual rain in February and the snowdrifts were so big there was nowhere to go,” Dooley said.
       ”It’s become the norm,” he said. “In previous years, we’ve had an average of 180 inches of snowfall in the winter, which is the highest ever, but most of that snow has been dry.”
       Gunnison Crested Butte Regional Airport in Gunnison, Colorado, sees snow from October through May. Airport Manager Rick Lamport said it typically gets wet snow early and late in the season, but mostly dry snow in the winter.
       ”From December 1 to mid-March, temperatures were well below freezing,” he said. “This year, temperatures have reached minus 30 degrees, and daytime temperatures are likely to remain below 7 or 8 degrees.”
       Gunnison’s high altitude also creates ice protection issues. Lamport said that despite sub-zero temperatures, the sun’s infrared heat can cause the ice to melt, creating icing problems on runways and taxiways.
       ”Ultimately, the performance of the track depends on the road surface temperature,” he said. “If the road surface temperature is below freezing and it’s snowing, the snow will fall to the road surface, stay dry and be easy to remove.”
       ”If the road surface is above freezing and the snow melts and then drops below freezing overnight, that’s when ice will start to form.”
       Lamport said the heaviest snowfall occurs in the afternoon because the airport’s asphalt has been heated by the sun all morning, meaning surface temperatures are above freezing despite the cold outside temperatures.
       ”If we’re working at night, we’ll apply a de-icer or anti-icer to get the ice covered, and then the next morning when the temperature is still below freezing, we can use a wire brush instead of a polyethylene wire brush to brush the ice off,” he said. “We’ve found that polyethylene wire brushes can polish the ice but not remove it, whereas all-wire brushes can remove both ice and hard ice.”
       Brian Lawton, regional director of business development for Hi-Lite Airfield Services LLC, said glass beads inside the markers can cause serious damage during winter snow and ice removal operations. This could cause problems under a new FAA notice issued in late 2018 that requires markers to meet minimum reflectivity requirements in addition to the initial paint installation.
       Reflectivity tests conducted before and after winter could show a significant reduction in marker reflectivity, he said.
       ”Whether you sweep or plow, you’re going to cause a lot of damage to the glass beads, which is going to affect the reflectivity,” Lawton said. “A lot of the beads fall off when you sweep, sweep and plow, and a lot of the beads get cut or broken.”
       Using a solid steel broom can effectively remove ice, but Lamport says it will destroy markings and leave scratches in the pavement. Airports should be painted or resurfaced at least once a year.
       ”We paint as late as possible in the summer so the paint stays fresh from the beginning to the end of winter,” he said.
       Camden said the new equipment ordered by Turners Falls has polypropylene edges instead of metal ones to minimize the impact of snow removal operations on the sidewalk and paint.
       Camden said the airport found that blades with metal edges were more likely to damage paint and leave marks on the pavement.
       ”The asphalt doesn’t get damaged as much, although it does wear out faster,” he said of the rubber edges. “There won’t be any peeling paint, either.”
       Aging and stress can put stress on airport equipment during the snow removal process, said Gail Porritt, a representative for Asphalt Systems in the Northeast.
       ”A healthy asphalt pavement is less susceptible to damage than a less healthy asphalt pavement,” he said. “We strongly recommend preventative maintenance on all airport sidewalks.”
       Porritt said the rollers on snow blowers and brooms need to be adjusted so they don’t put too much weight on the road. On older road surfaces where the binder has deteriorated more, the roller assembly will need to be adjusted to hold the aggregate in place.
       ”The biggest problem we see in the asphalt industry is steel bristle brooms,” he said. “We don’t mind sweeping the top of the aggregate with blades and brooms. But what really hurts the asphalt is when the broom gets to where the adhesive is and scrapes the adhesive off, ruining the compaction and making the asphalt harder, more porous and more susceptible to surface oxidation.”
       Because of the wide temperature differences in Gunnison, all of the airport’s runways are paved with asphalt because asphalt retains heat better than concrete, Lamport said.
       ”Our commercial ramps are all concrete, but when it comes to snow removal, asphalt does a much better job of reducing snow accumulation throughout the day,” he said.
       Gunnison is a Part 139 airport, so Lamport said they regularly inspect the airport to make sure it meets those standards. Colorado also does a proactive runway condition and pavement index assessment every few years, he said.
       ”They’ll come in, measure the cracks and assess the pavement for preventative maintenance requirements,” he said.
       Steel blades and broom bristles can cause more damage to markings, so Lawton said airports need to consider alternatives such as a blend of polymer and steel bristles.
       ”Secondly, the operator really has to be careful,” he said. “If you have a team of people sweeping and sweeping, and you’re in one position for a long time, standing still on the mark, and the broom is still moving, it’s definitely going to damage the mark.”
       Lawton said the most important step in winterizing markers is making sure they are positioned correctly when installed.
       ”You used the right materials, calibrated the equipment, prepped the surface, and applied the right amount of paint and beads in the installation technique,” he said. “It really gives you the best possible preparation to make sure those marks last all winter.”
       Mechanical snow removal methods such as brooms can damage pavement markings, according to Duray. The Plus snow blower chassis has teeth and straight edges.
       ”We have concrete taxiways, aprons and a paved runway,” he said. “All the ground had been badly eroded by all the different materials we were using, so the ground was in pretty bad shape.”
       As spring approaches, Sawyer will re-examine painted surfaces to see how much damage snow removal during the harsh season has caused, Dooley said.
       ”We plan to paint the airport every three years, primarily because that’s when the Federal Aviation Administration will allow us to use AIP funds to paint,” he said. “Painting the airport surface can cost over $100,000 each time, so we can’t just randomly paint it in the winter.
       ”We will evaluate our surfaces to ensure they meet FAA requirements for glass bead coating and reflectivity.”
       Duray said Sawyer will also rethink the approach to sealing cracks because snow removal equipment can remove the resin sealant.
       Porritt said that once winter is over, you can go out and look at the damage. Dents, chips, or scratches are all signs of damage. In the winter, you may also see asphalt glue on your brooms, which means there may be damage issues.
       Porritt said there is a section in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Notice P-401 that clearly states that any area sanded over asphalt must be treated with P-608 sealant to seal it. He also recommends doing the same for areas damaged by plowing and sweeping.
       ”When that happens, you need to reseal the pavement and reseal it so there is no environmental damage or surface oxidation,” he said. “When you reseal the damaged area, the pavement will be less susceptible to surface oxidation processes.”
       Standard lotions require temperatures of at least 60 degrees to work properly. P-608R is a solvent-based material that is more tolerant of temperatures and can bond pavement early in the season, Porritt said.
       ”Our advice is the sooner the better,” he said. “The less time you allow the exposed area to be exposed to water and UV rays, the better the results will be.”