Rehabilitation of Internal and External Roadways — Simón Bolívar International Airport, Maiquetía
Project sheet
- Sector
- Transportation
- Client
- Ministerio de Infraestructura / Instituto Nacional de Aeropuertos / IAIM (Proyecto Maiquetía)
- Location
- Maiquetía, Vargas State (La Guaira), Venezuela
- Year
- 2003–2004
- Vialpa Role
- Rehabilitation of internal and external airport roadways with Type IV asphalt mix
Project overview
Rehabilitation of the internal and external roadways of Maiquetía International Airport, part of the Maiquetía Project to modernize the aeronautical infrastructure of the country's main airport to international standards. The internal roadway has an approximate length of 5.5 km and the external roadway about 16.0 km; both were aged and deteriorated with potholes, cracks, alligator cracking and rutting. The works included removing 15 cm of asphalt pavement with a Wirtgen self-leveling reclaimer machine, sweeping and cleaning, adhesion spraying, paving 512,000 square meters with Asphalt Mix Type IV (32,000 tons), and comprehensive pavement striping.
The Challenge
Rehabilitate the internal and external roadway network of the country's main airport, with severely deteriorated pavements after years of continuous operation, maintaining uninterrupted aeronautical operations and traffic flow for passengers, cargo, and ramp services.
Vialpa Scope
Removal of 15 cm of asphalt pavement with a Wirtgen self-leveling reclaimer machine; sweeping, cleaning and adhesion spraying; paving of 512,000 m² with 32,000 tons of Type IV asphalt mix, over ~5.5 km of internal roadway and ~16.0 km of external roadway, along with horizontal pavement striping.
Engineering / Construction Approach
Integral milling of deteriorated pavement using a heavy cold milling machine loading directly to dump trucks, surface preparation with uniform tack coat spraying, and sequential placement of Type IV hot-mix asphalt, completed with high-durability pavement marking coordinated with IAIM.
Operational Constraints
Internal and external roadways with severely deteriorated pavement (potholes, cracks, alligator cracking and rutting); works executed within a fully operational international airport with high traffic volumes of ramp vehicles, passengers, and cargo transport.
Technical Highlights
- Rehabilitation of ~5.5 km internal roadway and ~16.0 km external roadway
- Paving of 512,000 m² with 32,000 tons of Type IV asphalt mix
- Removal of 15 cm of asphalt pavement with a Wirtgen self-leveling reclaimer machine
- Complete road marking and horizontal striping for airport service roadways
- Part of the Maiquetía Project to modernize aeronautical infrastructure to international standards
Key Quantities
Photographic archive and field execution
Original photographic field documentation of road execution, structures, concrete barriers and earthmoving by Constructora Vialpa.
Perimeter and external access roadway of Simón Bolívar International Airport fully repaved with Type IV asphalt mix, yellow-marked curbs, and completed landscaping (August 2004)
Internal airport service roadway properly marked with pavement markings ('PARE', directional arrows, and pedestrian crossing) adjacent to the commercial aircraft parking apron
Technical crew carrying out road marking and pavement striping works on the internal service road with support water tanker truck and aircraft in the background (August 2003)
Heavy-duty Wirtgen track cold milling machine removing 15 cm of deteriorated asphalt pavement and loading reclaimed material directly into dump truck on perimeter roadway (September 2003)
Bitumen distributor truck applying tack coat spray via hand wand over the milled surface prior to laying the Type IV hot-mix asphalt (August 2003)
