Accelerated Practices for Construction of Airfield Concrete Pavement

Abstract

Information and experiences about accelerated or fast-track portland cement concrete (PCC) paving projects from the airport pavement industry are presented. The focus is on steps that can be taken during the planning phase to accelerate airfield PCC paving projects; the presentation is based on detailed case studies that were developed under an Innovative Pavement Research Foundation project. These case studies were developed from an extensive list of accelerated projects compiled from sources within the airfield paving industry, including contractors, designers, owners, and industry representatives. The key to applying accelerated paving techniques for rigid pavements lies in understanding the available strategies and in knowing when and how these strategies should be applied. A range of materials is available for accelerating pavement opening times, which is most often thought of as accelerated paving. However, beyond the simple selection of appropriate materials, many other strategies can accelerate an airfield PCC paving or repair project, including thorough planning and coordination of project activities, considering procurement and contract factors, and application of appropriate phasing and scheduling techniques during the project planning phase. Strategies addressing design, construction, and ancillary issues are included in the Accelerated Practices for Airfield Concrete Pavement Construction final documents.