ACPA Concrete Pavement Progress Q1 2020

www.acpa.org Quarter 1, 2020 7 “I BELIEVE THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN FOUR, TRUE GREENFIELD CONSTRUCTIONS of new airports in the past 30 years,” says Anthony Dudas, airport director for the city of Wil- liston, “But we simply outgrew Sloulin Field International Airport, our previous airport.” Dudas saysWilliston was a sleepy, prairie town until 2008 when the population began to grow.The increase in population and businesses had a direct impact on the airport, he says. “The terminal, which was built in 2005 was designed to handle 10,000 pas- sengers flying out of Williston each year, but the actual count in 2014 was 120,000.” Much of the growth and the demands on the airport were attributable to the growth in oil exploration and extraction that began around 2006. The strain was also showing on the airport runways and taxiways as the asphalt surface that was designed to handle aircraft less than 30,000 pounds had regional jets weighing 53,000 pounds landing and taking off on a regular basis. “We would mill and overlay, but surfaces were rapidly disintegrating and requir- ing constant maintenance,” says Dudas. When a 2014 environmental assessment showed that it would cost the same amount of money to build a new airport versus rebuilding the ex- isting airport, the decision was made to locate the new airport 12 miles northwest of Williston. “Building a new facility allowed us to continue operating during construction so there was no inconvenience to the traveling public,” says Dudas. “The existing airport had little room for expansion, so the new site also allows us to build a terminal, runways and taxiways that can handle future growth.” One example of planning for growth was the decision to use concrete pavement for all runways and tie-ins to taxiways to handle larger, more varied aircraft. “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) specifications require 18 in. thickness for the type of aircraft we see today, but we designed runways with 19 in. concrete to be able to handle aircraft we may see 20 or 30 years from now,” says Dudas. REPLACING PAVEMENTS, A TERMINAL, OR ANY STRUCTURE AT AN AIRPORT IS CHALLENGING ENOUGH BUT IMAGINE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO REPLACE AN ENTIRE AIRPORT. THAT’S THE CHALLENGE THE CITY OF WILLISTON, N.D., WAS FACED WITH JUST A FEW YEARS AGO. By Sheryl S. Jackson continues on page 9 » W I L L I S T O N N D