Airside Paving Begins on the Kansas City International Airport New Terminal Project

Construction crews reached a major milestone in early August with the start of airside paving on the Kansas City International Airport New Terminal’s aircraft parking apron and taxiways. Over the next year, more than 466,000 square yards of pavement will be placed, with crews pouring an average of 2,000 cubic yards of concrete per workday. The airside paving operation includes placing nine inches of cement treated base, aggregate base and lime stabilized soil, topped with 15-inch-thick concrete. This process ensures the finished surface can sustain the weight of aircraft in transit and while parked at gates on the ramp. Concrete is being continuously poured and formed in a process known as "slipforming". Craftworkers are “slipforming” the airfield pavement in 30-foot lanes with a large placer and slipform paver in a train. Following each concrete pour, workers use straight edge and finishing tools to ensure a smooth and level surface.

St. Joseph, Missouri-based Ideker, Inc., is leading paving operations; additional work on the airside paving is being completed by Clarkson Construction Company of Kansas City, Missouri.

By the numbers:

Concrete poured each day (average): 2,000 CUBIC yards per day

Thickness of each pour: Roughly 80 percent of the pavement is 15 inches thick, with the rest ranging from 6 to 11 inches

Total concrete to be poured for airside paving: 466,000 square yards -- equivalent to the size of nearly 73 football fields.