John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada, serves the city of Hamilton as well as southern Ontario, including the Greater Toronto Area. Designed for use by large airplanes on overseas flights, the airport has a 10,006-foot-by-200-foot runway with centerline lighting for low-visibility operations and a 6,010-foot-by-150-foot runway. No longer designated as an international airport, it is classified as an airport of entry and staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency. It's also Canada's fourth largest cargo airport and the nation's largest overnight express cargo airport.

To improve reliability and efficiency, airfield lighting systems provider Tristar Electric Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario, was asked to change the entire airport to advanced LED lighting technology, a project that would involve trenching.

Tristar chose Rapid Set® Cement to perform the work. Rapid Set Cement is a fast-setting, high-performance cement that provides faster return to service, high strength, and increased durability. The hydraulic cement qualifies as very rapid hardening per ASTM C1600. It's ready for aircraft traffic in one hour and is engineered for low shrinkage and superior resistance to chemical attack.

Rapid Set Cement, aggregates, and water were mixed using a volumetric mixer, placed in the trench, finished with a trowel, and water cured. The contractor was allowed only four hours to work each night before the runways were reopened in the morning. Rapid Set Cement quickly reached the required 35 MPa compressive strength requirement.