NO-DIG | TRENCHLESS – PROJECTS
MICROTUNNELING AT HARRISBURG AIRPORT RUNWAY
Above: Microtunneling below live runway at Harrisburg International Airport, PA PHOTO CREDIT: AECOM
Microtunneling was recently completed that passes under the runway of Harrisburg International Airport, PA. The works were undertaken for the owner, Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA), as part of its Cargo Expansion II project. The expansion works were designed to create the infrastructure
for three new cargo aircraft parking positions. To create the additional parking space called for a range of construction works, including hangar floor demolition and pavement expansion, plus installation of new 2,556ft-long storm drainage. There were already 42-inch storm drains under the existing
active Runway 13-31 and Taxiway A. But enhancing these lines presented construction risk and so to improve the storm drainage would involve constructing a 543ft-long stretch of the new line under the runway – without interrupting or shutting down its use. Microtunneling was the focus as other methods were precluded
for various rationale: using pipe-bursting to upsize the existing storm drains would cause surface heave to the runway; horizontal
direct drilling (HDD) has poor grade control and that brough some risk of heave to the runway; and, jack and bore methods were incompatible with groundwater and have less controlled overcut, presenting settlement risk. Value engineering was used to help decide between three design alternatives (1-, 2-, and 3-pipelines) on the basis of permitting, schedule, constructability, construction risk, view on probable construction costs, and future maintenance costs. While the twin-pipe option was not the lowest, or highest, it was the owner’s preference for reasons including operating and maintenance benefits, and no siphon to avoid grit build up. The design solution involved twin drives of 60-inch i.d., 72-inch o.d.. reinforced concrete pipes (RCP), installed using a microtunnel boring machine (MTBM) to avoid disruption to airport operations. The machine worked between open cut box culverts on either side, connecting from the apron and discharging into the river. Prior to the tunneling works, the MTBM selection was determined from data collected from geotechnical investigations, including test borings, laboratory and in-situ testing, and a geophysical investigation. As a result, the interpretive profile of the geology to be bored through under the active runway was determined to consist of unstable fills and hard native material under the water table. An MTBM was a specified pressurized face for fully sealed microtunneling was selected for installation of two 60-inch i.d. storm drains, along with pre-excavation ground improvements. Working hours were restricted. Extensive monitoring was performed during all the preparatory and microtunneling works. The MTBM drives were recently successfully completed. ● Client: Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA) ● Design Team: AECOM ● General Contractor (GC): Kinsley Construction ● Third-Party Construction Manager: Urban Engineers ● Instrumentation and Monitoring Subcontractor: Kilduff Underground Engineering
● Shaft/Pit Subcontractor: Self-Performed by GC ● Horizontal Directional Drilling Subcontractor: JMF Underground
● Pre-Microtunneling Grouting Subcontractor: Nicholson ● Microtunneling Subcontractor: Michels ● Project Permanent Works Supplier: Vianini Pipe, Inc. for both the RCP casings (single pass – carrier pipe too)
reinspection and maintenance schedules and
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18 | Spring 2024
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