Customer: American Samoa Government, Department of Port Administration (DPA) and Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)  Location: Pago Pago, American Samoa  Contract Type:  Measure and value     Project Capabilities

Fast Facts 18,000 tonnes of asphalt produced in the onsite plant in 6 months  850 tonnes of imported bitumen from Fiji  310,000 litres of diesel has been used to manufacture, transport and deliver the project  17,000 tonnes of crushed aggregate supplied by MCD internal quarry  5,000 m3 of old runway pavement removed  Achieved an average PWL Score of 96/100 for Quality compliance  0 LTIRFR 0 TRIFR

McConnell Dowell was engaged to resurface the runway at Pago Pago Airport to improve its condition rating, and raise the shoulder edge by four inches to meet FAA requirements for international airports. 

Our work included a complete survey of the existing site; construction of Runway 5-23, the shoulder pavement, two taxiway and turning node pavements and paint-marking.  

This project is McConnell Dowell’s eighth airport project in the Pacific Islands and it  follows our successful completion of the USD6.7 million rehabilitation and extension of Runway 8-26 in 2007 and the Taxiway Alpha Rehabilitation in 2011. 

The challenge 

The primary runway in Pago Pago, Runway 5-23 accommodates at least three flights week and any disruption to runway operations was simply not an option. Our team worked tirelessly to plan works around scheduled flight times – including accommodating an additional 63 flights over the six month construction period. 

A challenging pavement design added another layer of complexity.  

The solution 

After experiencing some early issues with the quality of the runway surfacing works, we altered our construction methodology to lay the pavement lengthwise along the runway rather than horizontally across the runway as had been originally intended. This approach enabled us to meet strict FAA quality standards while accommodating planned and unplanned flights. 

By focussing on the runway shoulders on busy weekdays and the middle lanes on weekends, when there were fewer flights, we were able to achieve production rates of more than double that estimated during the tender phase. 

Through careful planning, we were able to complete Runway 5-23 without any major disturbances to Pago Pago Airport. 

Stakeholder management 

Undertaken in a live airport environment, this project required vigilant planning and ongoing engagement with airport stakeholders to prevent any disruption to airport operations. Our team met weekly with airport staff to ensure they had a complete understanding of their needs. This close engagement with airport operational staff was also key to achieving the project’s outstanding safety record of 0 TRIFR and 0LTIFR.  

Keys to Success 

A collaborative relationship with airport stakeholders was key to completing the works with minimal disruption to airport operations. A flexible pavement construction methodology enabled us to balance flight schedules and programme demands.  

By keepibg a close eye on quality metrics, we were able to continuously improve the quality of the compaction and ride quality as the project progressed.