The 8L/26R Pavement Replacement Project receives an ACEC Merit Award thanks to excellent teamwork. The project to resurface the northernmost runway at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (H-JAIA) was recently completed in a remarkable 29 days, thanks to the combined efforts of the Aviation Infrastructure Solutions Joint Venture. The AIS Joint Venture is comprised of Pond & Company, Michael Baker International and Corporate Environmental Risk Management (C.E.R.M). Runway 8L/26R was originally constructed in 1983, but after an extended life span of over 30 years, during which over 500 domestic, international, and cargo flights landed on it daily, it had begun to show significant wear. The first step the AIS team took was to evaluate the entire runway. Tests revealed that the center or “keel” portion need to be replaced, but the less trafficked outer panels were still in good shape. The team decided to only replace the keel portion, which greatly reduced the cost and quantity of materials needed for construction, as well as reduced the amount of construction waste. Additionally, the time required to take the runway out of service was reduced because the schedule was significantly shortened. This was a significant consideration for busy H-JAIA, which seeks to minimize the number of days that any of its runways must be taken out of service. AIS continued its careful project execution by coordinating the repaving tasks closely with the electrical engineering team. The standard Runway Edge lights were replaced with LED lights, which require between 50% and 60% less energy. This runway is one of the first in the United States to be completely LED. During construction, the team worked closely with airport personnel to coordinate access to secure portions of the airfield for workers, while not disrupting normal operations in the rest of the airfield. The contractors experienced several unanticipated delays; however, they maintained the project’s rigorous schedule. Such commitment was rewarded when the project finished ahead of schedule. Despite a large work crew that included on average 350 personnel per shift, working over 210,000 man-hours in 29 days, demolishing and replacing 95,040 square yards of concrete pavement, there were zero contractor injuries on the project. Safety has always been a goal of AIS and H-JAIA.
