OVERVIEW

In late 2023, the TER project saw the resurfacing of the primary apron taxiway servicing terminal 1 at Gold Coast Airport. The project presented many challenges including the requirement for pavement strengthening to accommodate the traffic forecast without the ability to increase the total pavement thickness. Additionally, the Taxiway is the primary access to the regular passenger transport (RPT) apron, permitting a construction window of only 5hrs each night. The team worked with the designers and contractor to derive a pavement profile that both achieved the strengthening requirements for the forecast and was constructible within the tight operational timeframes.

CHALLENGE

• Project boundary was landlocked, preventing traditional strengthening methods. All added strength came from material selection.

• Tight operational windows with significant contingency planning and minute by minute programming and monitoring.

• Coordination between contractor and both Taxiway and Apron Operations.

• Management of heat dissipation with construction of thick structural layers.

• Interface and coordination of airfield ground lighting outages.

• Management of PFAS contamination in accordance with the PFAS NEMP.

INNOVATION

• Utilisation of EME2 product in Taxiway structural layers

• Performance of construction staging and temperature monitoring such that approach could be tested and a irmed before pavements were subjected to aircraft loading.

• Implementation of industrial fans mounted to a flatbed truck to accelerate pavement temperature dissipation.