Collapsible concrete "arrestor bed" stops runaway jet in its tracks

Collapsible concrete will be installed at the end of a Teterboro Airport runway to stop wayward jets under a plan Port Authority officials are expected to approve this week.

The plan calls for installation of the airport’s third arrestor bed — a stretch of aerated cement that acts like flypaper for planes — on the southwest side of Runway 6-24. Installation is scheduled to be completed by mid-2013.

An arrestor bed on the northern side of the same runway stopped an out-of-control jet last October. An aircraft’s wheels sink into the aerated cement — much like a car slowed by gradually deepening snow.

Commissioners at the Port Authority, the bi-state agency that operates the airport, are expected to approve the $27 million project at their meeting on Wednesday, officials said.

About two-thirds of that money will be used for design and construction. The rest will be spent on planning, permitting and wetland mitigation. The Port Authority hopes to get about 95 percent of the money reimbursed by the federal Airport Improvement Program.

About 6,000 aircraft use Runway 6-24 each year. The 6,015-foot long runway is one of two at the airport.

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