Pavement Reconstruction of Main Runway Intersection at William P. Hobby Airport

A continued emphasis in the aviation community is to minimize critical runway closure associated with maintenance or construction activities. Reducing or eliminating closure time for work within the intersection of the two primary runways at William P. Hobby Airport, Houston, Texas, is a major priority due to Southwest Airline hub activities and more than 250,000 operations per year. This paper reviews the lessons learned from a high-early-strength Portland Cement Concrete pavement design mix which led to a reduced life span of the runway intersection primarily as a result of deteriorating effects associated with secondary ettringite crystal formation. Additional lessons learned from the design of the subsequent and successful repair program are also documented, including the use of existing and proposed pavement elevation modeling along the centerline and outside landing gear track in order to improve aircraft ride smoothness. A well thought out, coordinated construction-phasing plan using an industry-standard, Federal Aviation Administration P-501 compliant mix design led to a successful reconstruction of the damaged intersection. This paper reviews the steps taken to demolish and reconstruct the critical runway intersection and the alternative analysis undertaken during the design process.