Pavement Management Systems

• Planning/ Programming
• Design
• Construction
• Operations
• Evaluation
• Maintenance
• Restoration
• Records/ Information Systems

• Annual SWIFT Conference • Canadian Airfield Pavement Technical Group [CAPTG]

 

Pavement Construction

The construction activity transforms the pavement design into a physical reality. There are two types of construction: 1) new construction - which expands or adds to the existing airport pavement inventory; and 2) restoration - such as an overlay or partial reconstruction of an existing pavement usually carried out because of structural inadequacies or a rough surface.

The construction contract and the work of the contractor must be supervised and inspected by or on behalf of the airport owner/operator to ensure that plans and specifications and other contractual conditions are being complied with. The three key items in contract supervision are time, quantity and quality - the work must be completed within a time schedule, work quantities must be measured for payment purposes, and the work must be completed in accordance with contract plans and specifications.

Pavement construction involves the on-site manufacturing and placement of a product - the pavement - from raw materials, including soils, aggregates, cements (either asphalt or Portland cement), water and other materials. As a result, quality control requirements and costs may be somewhat higher than for other types of construction. Quality control involves testing and inspection of the materials and work as the job progresses - the idea being to detect problems and areas where work specifications are not being met, and make adjustments to correct problems before an unacceptable pavement is in place.

Other approaches to ensuring construction of a quality pavement are sometimes used by the owner - for example, quality assurance - the acceptance testing of the final product only for such quality items as strength and smoothness. The owner may also provide the contractor with bonus payment options which act as an additional incentive for the contractor to produce a finished product that exceeds predefined levels of quality and/or provides penalties for failure to achieve minimum quality levels.

Co-ordination is required between airport personnel, the contractor, supervisory staff and airlines to ensure that work progresses safely and with a minimum of interference to airport operations.

Project construction records and contract supporting details documenting the work as-built also need to be prepared for future reference.

The construction activity ends with the commissioning and turn-over of the new or restored pavement to the airport operator.

Documentation on airfield pavement construction materials, methods, supervision and contract records can be found by visiting the web pages of the Canadian Airfield Pavement Technical Group.