About the Project

Located in Warwick, Rhode Island, T. F. Green International Airport (PVD) is a small-hub airport that routinely offers international flights. The asphalt pavement was showing deterioration and needed to be restored to maintain operations. Working as a subcontractor, APTech performed pavement evaluation and design services for the rehabilitation of Taxiway C at PVD. The portion of Taxiway C located within approximately 800 feet adjacent to Runway 5-23 was also reconstructed and realigned to address geometric concerns.

This project included the preliminary and final pavement design. To begin, APTech reviewed the results of the planned geotechnical investigation and the existing pavement records. Next, the APTech team conducted nondestructive deflection testing using a falling weight deflectometer. The results provided a wealth of information about the load-carrying capabilities of the pavement, which APTech used in conjunction with the results of the records review to develop design alternatives. The design strategies were determined in accordance with FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5320-6G, Airport Pavement Design and Evaluation and using FAA’s FAARFIELD pavement design software. The results of the data review, analyses, and recommendations for the project were presented in a detailed pavement design report.

Multiple rehabilitation alternatives were considered, including asphalt surface replacement, full-depth reclamation, and concrete overlay. While these alternatives were structurally feasible, the taxiway required additional pavement structure to accommodate the anticipated aircraft traffic. The additional structural requirements for these alternatives made matching existing grades at each end of the section difficult. Milling a portion of the existing asphalt surface and placing a new asphalt overlay was not considered because of the deteriorated condition of the existing asphalt. A new asphalt pavement was ultimately selected.