The project which is due to be completed in 2019, forms part of a bigger scheme to modernise the airport which handles an average of 60,000 passengers and more than 600 aircraft movements every day.
Currently many of the aircraft aprons at Dublin airport are over 40 years old and require maintenance and upgrading. In order to maintain the safe and smooth running of the airport, Idom has been engaged to manage a phased apron rehabilitation project to replace existing apron pavements before they become a business interruption or health and safety risk.
The contract includes an initial feasibility study to define the project and develop an appropriate delivery strategy. The engineering team is then required undertake the detailed design of the rehabilitation areas and procure and manage the delivery of the rehabilitation works between 2015 and 2019.
In order to meet the project brief effectively it has been necessary for the engineering team to consider issues such as life cycle costs of the new apron network, delivery programme and logistics, constructability, maintainability, quality, sustainability and operational restrictions.
Javier Losada, Idom Aviation Manager commented: “All of our engineering works had to be phased to mitigate their impact upon the airfield operations. There are 57 airlines operational from Dublin and the airport is extremely busy. The onsite engineering team has also had to phase works to interface with other ongoing engineering projects at the site, including taxiway rehabilitation, the installation of aviation fuel pipelines and enhancements to the runway.”
The apron network and infrastructure is required to accommodate a range of Boeing and Airbus models including the new generation Code F aircraft, and is based on providing capacity for the airport’s busiest times of passenger traffic at the height of season. In addition, the design brief had to consider issues such as access and egress routes, design of drainage and pollution control, proposed fixed electrical ground power infrastructure and the location of fuel hydrants for fuel pipelines.
As an integral part of the project Idom has also prepared an environmental and sustainability strategy designed to minimise waste disposal and maximise efficient use of resources, this includes the identification and quantity of materials on site with an assessment of the recycling options for the various fractions. This reduces the quantity of materials that have to be taken off site, and in the instance that materials need to be brought on to site local suppliers are used to minimise haul distances.
The project also includes the renewal, or provision of the infrastructure for future upgrade, of the airport ground lighting system in the areas of apron rehabilitation, which proposes to replace existing LV system with an LED ELV system that has both economic and environmental benefits. Once complete, the minimum anticipated life span of the new fully constructed apron pavements is 30 years, with 10 years before its first scheduled maintenance.
News cited from www.aviationpros.com
