New Parallel Runway Project

As part of the Skyway Joint Venture with CPB Contractors, BMD Constructions delivered the $430 million airfield contract for the Brisbane Airport Corporation. Delivered over a total of eight years, the project was broken down into two phases, the Civil and Earth package (Phase 1) and the Airfield Works Package (Phase 2).

Described as one of the largest and uniquely challenging aviation construction projects ever undertaken in Australia, BMD Constructions set a benchmark for design, efficiency and construction, all while delivering the project ahead of time, under budget and during a global pandemic.

Scope
The scope of work included:

• placement and proof rolling of 11,000,000m3 of sand
• 5,000,000m3 of bulk sand earth works
• construction of a new drainage network including a floodway drain and outlet
• placement and compaction of 1.2 million tonnes of quarry product
• construction and pavement material placement of a 3.3 kilometre runway and 12 kilometre taxiway system
• placement of 180,000m3 of heavy strength concrete
• construction of High Intensity Approach Lighting (HIAL) structure
• installation of lighting infrastructure on taxiways and runway
• installation of open and in-ground drainage
• installation of all electrical wiring including navigation aids, weather instruments and communications
• landscaping installation to cover over 300 hectares of non-paved areas of the airfield
• placement of over 6780 litres of paint for a total 120 kilometres of pavement.

Outcomes

• Procurement of a local quarry enabled the delivery of over 600,000 tonnes of fine crushed rock during off-peak hours and removed 20,000 truck deliveries during peak periods of airport operation.
• The line marking was completed with the help of Tiny Surveyor, an innovative robotic tool supplied by geospatial solutions provider, Position Partners. Tiny Surveyor saved the project 190-200 hours by removing the need to manually set the runway lines by foot.
• A high capacity wet-batch concrete and asphalt plant was established to generate all pavement materials. This enabled surety of delivery, removed 35,000 truck movements from local roads, and enabled 24/7 production and placement of concrete during optimum ambient weather conditions for highest quality.
• Concrete was generated and placed onsite with no reliance on subcontractors and ensured material stockpiles were sufficient for three weeks of production. This mitigated the risk of break downs in the supply chain and guaranteed NPR to meet and exceed ambitious targets.
• No serious environmental breaches were recorded across the 360-hectare site despite working extensively in, and immediately adjacent to, waterways.
• Integrated Information Management System with online GIS saw engineers 30% more efficient during pre-planning and late arrival/ downtime of work crews reduced by 25%.