Contractor: Interstate Highway Construction, Inc.

Owner/Engineer: City and County of Denver – Department of Aviation

Contractors are accustomed to working in some pretty tight places, but when jet aircraft. are taxiing just a few feet from the workzone, there can be no compromising safety, precision, and attention to detail.
This $17.3 million CPR project involved removal and replacement of 83,000 sq. yds. (approximately 2,000 panels) of 17 in. thick pavement on taxiways and runways, as well as more than 450 in-pavement lights. The project also included 500 cu. ft.. of spall repair, replacement of heavy-duty expansion joints, stabilizing (mud-jacking) 34 panels; joint sealing; and 4,000 sq. yds. of surface grinding.

The project was bid in August 2007, but delayed until 2008, which required that all major milestones had to be completed in the 2008 construction season.  

The contractor, Denver International Airport officials, and Federal Aviation Administration officials worked closely during the winter months to develop a workable schedule that would accommodate airfield operations, while allowing construction in four discrete areas.    

With aircraft. taxiing only a few feet from the workzone, safety measures were followed unfailingly.   This included safety training, weekly safety meetings, and constant monitoring. Foreign object debris (FOD) watchers were placed at critical areas to monitor traffic and clean-up FOD immediately to prevent damage to aircraft..   

In addition to the special attention to safety, the contractor also had to address some significant change orders. These included replacing 2,000 sq. yds. of concrete around gate areas; correcting profile to address “heaving” concrete on a high-speed taxiway; an additional 54 light-can replacements; reconstructing a manhole vault; and some emergency sewer repairs.  

In spite of the challenges of this project, the key milestones were all completed ahead of schedule, and as a result, the runway was opened 17 days earlier than expected. 

Silver: Cimarron Turnpike Pavement Rehabilitation

Contractor: TTK Construction Company, Inc.

Owner/Engineer:  Oklahoma Turnpike Authority

Restoration of the Cimarron Turnpike could have just been an ordinary project, but when the contractor saw an opportunity to save the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority some money, the project quickly turned from ordinary to extraordinary.