Faced with gradually failing areas of concrete and hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavement and the resulting foreign object debris that could damage its rotor aircraft, the Illinois Department of Military Affairs (DMA) decided to undertake repairs for the concrete parking and approach aprons at the Illinois Army National Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility in Peoria, Illinois.
The apron and ramp pavements serve CH-47 Chinook helicopters, with a 50,000-pound operational weight, and consist of varying depths of concrete pavement. A connecting taxiway consisting of HMA material and atypical pavement structures, constructed and expanded over several years, provided access from the ramp to General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport’s (PIA) Taxiway E, a highly active taxiway serving the runway end of the airport’s primary runway.
The concrete exhibited large-scale cracking, corner breaks and severe joint deterioration. The HMA presented failures from both load and environmental distress. DMA received a grant opportunity with an uncertain funding level and required a fast-tracked plan development and bidding prior to the end of the federal fiscal year. The airport required minimal interruption to the taxiway routing of the commercial aircraft entering and departing PIA and no interruption of fuel service crossing the project area from one side of the airfield to the other.
Pavement evaluation, design and construction observation
As a subconsultant, Hanson provided pavement evaluation, design and construction observation services for the improvements. Hanson’s team developed a phasing plan to accommodate the site’s operational constraints and a plan set with a base bid and seven additive alternate bid items that provided DMA the ability to incrementally award the project based on the ultimate funding amount provided.
The design elements included removal and replacement of concrete and HMA pavements; spall repair and joint rehabilitation and resealing; and isolated panel replacements. Ancillary items included the restoration of pavement marking and aircraft tie-downs and the construction of temporary pavements to accommodate the fuel operations.
Hanson’s construction-phase services included observation and contract administration. Given the potential impacts to airline operations due to an active taxiway adjacent to the project area, Hanson conducted early coordination of the respective taxiway closure and routine coordination meetings between airport operations staff, the contractor and the owner to plan for minimal closure times, the evaluation of potential time-saving construction methods and monitored adherence to the schedule. Hanson’s role as a liaison among all the parties resulted in a successful project outcome.
The project’s sustainable elements included site erosion control and adherence to Illinois Environmental Protection Agency construction stormwater requirements and reuse of asphalt pavement millings for temporary construction roads.
