Loring Air Force Base, Airfield, Central portion of base, Limestone, Aroostook County, ME

Significance: The airfield was the center of the strategic mission of Loring Air Force Base. It was one of the earliest airfields designed specifically for the B-36, which was the newest aircraft in the Strategic Air Command (SAC) inventory at that time. The airfield was designed and built using specialized construction techniques in response to difficult and unusual site condition, and the enormous weight and size of the B-36 bomber. Important construction features included the extent of the heavy earthwork, the establishment of on-site quarries, the unusual 70-inch foundation thickness, the bituminous concrete pavement that provided a flexible base for aircraft landings and take-offs, and the dimensions of the runway. At 12,000 feet, the runway was one of the world's longest at that time.
Survey number: HAER ME-64-A
Building/structure dates: 1947-1987 Initial Construction