Case Study: Design & Construction, Concourse A-B Apron, Washington Dulles International Airport

Abstract: From February 2024 to November 2024, a 30,000-SF Section of the Concourse A-B Southwest Apron (Gates A20 to B40) at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) was reconstructed. Several major work components involved with the approximately $16M project were: reconstruct PCC apron pavement at four (4) wide-body international gates including the pavement in front of the Airport’s Operations offices; the removal of seven (7) existing fuel pits and lateral fuel lines while preserving thirteen (13) existing fuel pits and ten (10) existing structures to streamline construction schedule, the relocation of ~2,000 LF of Vehicle Service Road (VSR) through the five (5) total phases of the project to detour around the work areas, and the repair of deteriorated trench drain walls located along the south edge of the new pavement area. An additional section of deteriorated PCC pavement was also reconstructed during the project. Early finish sections, within each phase of construction, were developed to limit the downtime of adjacent gates from being used by wide-body aircraft, but also still allow the airport to utilize those gates with smaller aircraft. This presentation will discuss in detail a few of the challenges, solutions, and lessons learned during the Concourse A-B Southwest Apron design and reconstruction project, including: Pavement Design of Apron, Phasing and Construction Operations in and around Aircraft Gates, VSRs and Airport Operations, and Delegated Design of Fuel.