NRMCA Meets with Engineers at Denver International Airport

NRMCA Senior Director, Local Paving, Greg Halsted recently gave a lunchtime presentation to engineers with Denver International Airport (DEN) who then invited him to visit active concrete pavement projects at the airport, both landside and airside. Halsted addressed 17 attendees on July 15, specifically on the NRMCA Pave Ahead program, covering the goals, objectives and available resources of the initiative.

One major focal point was the importance of collaborative project assistance among NRMCA, ready mixed concrete suppliers, paving contractors and the owner/architect/engineer community. It was apparent that DEN engineers were pleased to be included as part of the process, Halsted said. Jamie Johnson, the new executive director of the Colorado/Wyoming Chapter of ACPA, was also on hand to offer his association’s support and assistance with concrete paving.

Hosted by Clint Sciacca, project manager at DEN (seen here on the right with Halsted), the tour started on the landside of things with a visit to one of the phases of the Peña Boulevard construction project. Produced and placed by FlatironDragados and following Colorado DOT specifications, Halsted and Johnson saw crews placing, finishing and curing an 11-inch-thick section of JPCP (with 15-foot transverse jointing). Interestingly, the coarse aggregate used in the subbase material directly underneath the pavement was totally comprised of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) from sections of concrete pavement that were removed as part of the major work in the airport vicinity. DEN inspectors reported that all concrete paving operations were proceeding as planned with very few issues, Halsted said.

On the airside, the tour stopped at the ongoing Gate Apron Reconstruction and Drainage Improvements (GARDI) project at Concourse A. Produced and placed by Millstone Weber, and following FAA specifications, Halsted and Johnson witnessed crews preparing subgrade and subbase for 17-inch-thick concrete pavement (up to 21” at thickened edges or structures). The entire DEN pavement structure is truly impressive considering the thick concrete section sits on top of four inches of cement-treated base, three inches of hot mix asphalt and, finally, 12 inches of cement-treated subgrade, Halsted noted. Just like on the landside project, airside project personnel reported no problems with the concrete paving work around the terminals at DEN.

The construction sites visited are just two of the many concrete pavement projects in progress or soon to start around DEN; both are utilizing portland-limestone cement (Type IL), and alone account for well over 50,000 cubic yards of concrete. Sustainability is being achieved on both projects by using Type IL cement and the incorporation of RCA where possible. Both the office and field events were excellent ways to stress to DEN the assistance and support available to them through NRMCA, ACPA and industry members.

For more information, contact Greg Halsted at ghalsted@nrmca.org.