Runway 8R-26L Pavement Replacement

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia

Since 2003, Michael Baker, as part of the AIS Joint Venture Team, has provided multi-discipline engineering services to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). The team provides a full range of services, including architectural, civil, structural and electrical to the airport on an as-needed basis.

In 2006, Michael Baker prepared pavement designs for the reconstruction of Runway 8R-26L, ATL’s oldest runway. The project involved the replacement of a 10,000-foot by 150-foot section of the runway and overlay of 35-foot-wide asphalt shoulders, construction of a pavement underdrain system, design of the centerline and edge lighting electrical system, widening of the taxiway fillet and the replacement design of 4,000 feet of parallel taxiways.

Since the re-grading of the 8R Safety Area required a runway displacement or closure, timing was critical – services needed to be performed under an accelerated design schedule. Further compounding the complexity, the runway reconstruction was scheduled to coincide with the upcoming opening of the airport’s fifth runway and the construction of the 8R End-Around Taxiway. As a result, work was carefully coordinated and expedited to minimize operational impacts.