On Wednesday, September 24, 2025, a United Airlines flight overshot the runway while landing in heavy rain at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport. Unable to stop on the pavement, the aircraft came to rest in the Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS), a specialized safety zone designed to halt aircraft that overshot the runway. The EMAS was planned and built by Branch.
United flight goes off runway at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport... 9.25.25 (Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport)
A project built on precision and teamwork
From the start, the project demanded strategic pre-planning, precise scheduling, and seamless coordination among a 40-member team and six key subcontractors. Every detail mattered. The schedule left no room for error.
Through it all, Branch employee-owners embodied our culture of ownership—demanding excellence, refusing to cut corners, and turning high expectations into everyday practice.
ENR Best Regional Project Award of Merit winner
The effort earned Branch an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Best Regional Project Award of Merit, recognizing the team’s innovation, discipline, and execution. But the real award came on that rainy Wednesday—when the EMAS performed exactly as designed, stopping the aircraft safely and preventing tragedy.
Built for worse-case scenario
The incident underscores a fundamental truth: What we build must withstand worst-case scenarios. What we build matters, because lives depend on it.
Our work is not about concrete, steel, or profit margins. It’s about serving our communities and building infrastructures that make a difference and last for generations. The EMAS project at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport stands as a testament to our mission. Every Branch employee-owner and subcontractor who worked on this project should feel deeply proud.
What they built saved lives.
