P-596 North Ramp Apron and Hangar 95 MCAS Yuma, AZ

Aug 16

Project Summary

Southwest Concrete Paving (SWCP) served as a key subcontractor for the P-596 North Apron and Hangar 95 Reconstruction MCAS Yuma. The project involved two worksites within active areas of the airfield. The Hangar 95 worksite included a complete renovation of the hangar with the associated removal and full-depth repair of the adjacent F35C parking apron. The north apron worksite, which houses rotary-wing aircraft, expanded the apron and included a full-depth removal and replacement of adjacent Taxiway Bravo (B) across its entire width, directly abutting the north apron. A smaller area of adjacent Taxiway Charlie (C) that exhibited significant cracking and poor serviceability was also removed and replaced full-depth as part of the north apron project.

Both worksites required a cement-treated base (CTB) course and Portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP). SWCP batched and placed two 6-inch lifts of CTB at the Hangar 95 apron before mobilizing to the north apron, where a single lift of 8-inch CTB was batched and placed.

After CTB installation at both sites, SWCP began batching and placement of PCCP on the north apron site, which required an accelerated schedule to accommodate the annual base training and airshow scheduled for late August through October. All work was required to be completed and turned over before the show, with the exception of striping, which was allowed to be temporary. Upon completing the north apron worksite, SWCP completed PCCP at the Hangar 95 site.

North apron activities were conducted at night, creating challenges for truck access to the base as contractor gates were not open. SWCP negotiated a two-load allotment of cement deliveries each night to sustain operations until the remaining loads could be delivered at 6 am. During construction, airfield operations were technically shut down between 12 pm and 8 am; however, unannounced aircraft would arrive periodically and temporarily block access through the live taxiway.

Unique Features

The north apron site included significant portions of Taxiway B that required closing during construction. These closures meant all traffic had to be routed through Taxiway C, creating a potential bottleneck for airfield operations and trucking crossing the same area continuously throughout the day. Foreign Object Debris (FOD) management was a significant part of the project, especially during CTB placement during daytime hours. Concrete paving night operations helped minimize impact during that phase of work. In addition to these logistical issues, the north apron had an extensive volume fuel line that ran the length of the apron. This fuel line was active and critical to activities, requiring protection during construction. Contract requirements limited vehicles to50 psi when crossing the fuel line during construction.

On-Site Batch Plant

SWCP was able to set up an on-site batch plant to deliver concrete to both worksites. Because the batch plant was located in a known contaminated area, SWCP was restricted from digging at the site without prior soil testing on the spoils. Five electrical poles ran overhead power to the plant for operation, and an existing asphalt parking lot was utilized for stockpiling aggregates.

The batch plant was a Rexcon Model S Central Mix Plant with three horizontal storage guppies for additional storage of cementitious materials. Concrete was hauled to grade in open-bed ten-wheel dump trucks and deposited in front of the paver using a belt placer. The north apron site was approximately 12 minutes from the plant, requiring haul trucks to cross an active taxiway and stop for FOD checks. The Hangar 95 site was roughly half the distance from the plant, but trucks still had to ingress and egress through an operated security gate and cross an active fire lane with continual FOD checks.