Frankfurt am Main Airport is the largest commercial airport in Germany and one of the world's most important aviation hubs. PORR Verkehrswegebau is renovating taxiway L9 on the airport site for the airport operator Fraport AG. This connects the runway center with the northern apron, maintenance halls, terminals and other facilities.
Working together to reach the goal even under challenging conditions
As part of the construction project, around 7,500 square meters of asphalt layers and around 5,500 square meters of concrete slabs will be removed. This will be followed by the construction of 7,800 square meters of asphalt layers and 3,700 square meters of concrete pavement. In addition, 3,000 meters of cable conduits will be laid and twelve new prefabricated shafts weighing up to 20 tons each will be installed.
The work is being carried out using the “Frankfurt method”, which ensures that the affected areas are available for flight operations again in the morning without any restrictions. This involves removing the existing asphalt or concrete surface (up to 50 cm thick) in one night, excavating the underlying material to a level of -0.80 m and then laying a frost protection and gravel base layer as well as several asphalt layers in layers.
Strict adherence to the schedule and the tight time windows pose a particular challenge when carrying out the work. Due to the location of the construction site in the immediate vicinity of the runway, all measures are only possible between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when the airport is closed. This requires meticulous planning and precise execution in order not to disrupt airport operations. This is because the punctual opening of the runway for air traffic from 7:00 a.m. must be ensured. Here, too, the measures were carried out according to PORR's tried-and-tested “hand in hand” principle: the coordination of all trades and detailed coordination ensure that the projects are carried out reliably, safely and economically. “Our team has already successfully implemented several projects for Fraport AG in the past, including the renovation of the runway. We coordinate the tasks and employees so that everyone knows what needs to be done. This keeps the work feasible for us,” explains Robert Smolarek, Senior Site Manager at PORR Verkehrswegebau.