Case Study: Applying New Airport Design Standards

In September 2012, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released an updated version of the Airport Design Circular, AC 150/5300-13, Airport Design. This circular introduced several new standards and recommendations for the geometric layout of runway and taxiway intersections at civilian airports. While designing a taxiway reconstruction project at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, which included a runway-taxiway intersection, multiple taxiway-taxiway intersections and a high-speed runway exit taxiway, the updated airport geometry standards yielded many challenges. These challenges included how to effectively and efficiently reconfigure taxiway intersection pavement geometry while connecting to existing pavement, the placement of new taxiway edge lighting at fillets, tapers and intersections of both, and positioning of new pavement markings to include the enhanced taxiway centerlines, taxiway shoulder markings, surface painted runway hold signs and hold lines. These challenges necessitated an analysis and unique approach to each of the different taxiway intersections within this project. This paper will provide a brief overview of the new airport design standards, the current airfield lighting and marking guidelines, and outline the criteria differences that arose when using all three guidelines documents in design. Finally, this paper will detail the approach used to overcome these challenges during the design of the Reconstruction Taxiway Delta and Echo and Removal of Taxiway November Project at Lambert-St Louis International Airport.