Flightline closes for much needed maintenance Published Dec. 19, 2013 By Senior Airman Joseph A. Pagán Jr. 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- The last B-52H Stratofortress landed on the flightline, Dec. 16, signaling a two-week closure for maintenance on the runway. The upcoming holiday is the most opportune time to close the runway for necessary maintenance. The flightline closure allows for multiple construction projects to take place, said Lt. Col. Scott Ritzel, 2nd Maintenance Group deputy commander. This is one of the many annual maintenance cycles that occur throughout the year to help keep the B-52H Stratofortress safe and secure. The biggest project of the year requires removal of the asphalt overlay on the runway. "The composition of the runway is 11,758 feet long and made of concrete," said Jimmy Flentge, 2nd Operations Support Squadron airfield manager. "Flanked on either side of the runway are asphalt shoulders which stretch 9,000 feet." As aircraft continue to take-off and land, pieces of the runway begin to crack and break off. "Fixing the runway reduces foreign object debris and damage potential," said Flentge. "The amount of FOB has been growing and been an ongoing problem for several years." Although milling and replacing the asphalt overlay is the largest project, there are several other smaller ones taking place. "There are several locations on the taxiways where concrete is being ripped up and repaired," said Flentge. "After the overlay and concrete are repaired, the runway will be repainted." While B-52s are not scheduled to takeoff, maintainers and aircrew will still be working. "There is a tremendous amount of aircraft maintenance that needs to be done," said Ritzel. "There are overdue projects that need to be attended to and it's difficult to prioritize when aircrafts are taking off." The runway is expected to reopen Jan. 6, without hindering the Barksdale mission and the mission of the B-52.