From Demolition Waste to FAA-Compliant Base Course: Materials Management at DFW Airport

Large airport capital programs generate substantial volumes of demolition debris and surplus excavation material, creating ongoing challenges related to disposal costs, material procurement, hauling logistics, and schedule risk. At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), the scale and pace of concurrent airfield and landside construction required a more coordinated, program-level approach to managing construction materials.

The East Materials Management Site (EMMS) was established as a centralized facility to receive, test, process, stockpile, and redistribute construction materials generated across the airport. The site occupies approximately 73 acres and currently manages approximately 1.5 million cubic yards of material in various stages of storage and processing. Materials include asphalt millings, concrete slabs and rubble, cement-treated base, salvaged granular aggregates, topsoil, and unclassified excavation. A key function of EMMS is the production of FAA P-219–compliant recycled concrete aggregate base course, which is reused directly on active DFW projects.

This presentation explores the engineering controls, quality assurance protocols, and operational systems that allow EMMS to function reliably within an active airport environment. Material acceptance and processing are governed by FAA Advisory Circular 150/5370-10 and applicable ASTM testing requirements. Quantities are tracked using certified truck scales, daily production logs, and drone-based volume verification, while a custom Power App–based forecasting tool aligns material supply with project demand across multiple concurrent construction programs.

The program has delivered measurable results. In FY 2024, DFW achieved a 91% diversion rate for construction materials. In earlier years, diversion rates reached as high as 99%, resulting in approximately $25 million in avoided landfill costs. By integrating materials reuse into construction management practices, EMMS improves cost control, reduces schedule risk, and increases operational efficiency while supporting DFW’s designation as the first carbon-neutral airport in the Americas. The EMMS model provides transferable lessons for construction managers overseeing large, complex infrastructure programs.