Vancouver International Airport Runway

To address growing demand, the Vancouver International Airport Authority's facilities expansion included a 3,000-metre-long by 60-metre-wide third runway, 13 new taxiways, two new aprons and a new international terminal. However, due to poor soil conditions, the area required a six-month material management plan to import over 2 million cubic metres of sand fill and in excess of 8 million cubic metres of fill over the entire project. In addition, the scope of work included paving, underground utilities and electrical work.

Completed in the fall of 1996, the project involved producing and slipform paving over 200,000 cubic metres of concrete and 244,000 tonnes of cement stabilized base, while grading more than one million cubic metres of base and subbase. Crews installed more than 25 kilometres of reinforced concrete, as well as high-density polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride drainage pipe, 80 kilometres of electrical ductwork, and over 2,000 runway light bases.

Using detailed planning and scheduling, Kiewit completed the project ahead-of-schedule. The expansion provides safer and more efficient airline services for the growing transportation needs on Canada's west coast, while providing the country its first runway with a Category III Instrument Landing System, capable of bringing aircraft in for landing in almost zero visibility.