Dutch transport engineering specialist Mammoet was called upon to help widen the concourse at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport – the world’s busiest – with minimal disruption to activities.
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport sees nearly 300,000 people daily. The D concourse, originally constructed in 1980, featured narrow corridors just over 5 m wide and required an upgrade to accommodate the increasing demands of daily travel.
Given the critical nature of the hub, shutting down any part of the concourse was not an option. Mammoet collaborated early on with Holder-Moody-Bryson-Sovereign JV to find a solution that minimised impact on daily operations. The chosen route involved modernising and widening the concourse using prefabricated modules installed with SPMTs in a night-time operation.
According to the multi-phased construction schedule, each module would be transported on the same day each week between one and four o’clock in the morning. During the second phase of the project, teams enhanced efficiency by transporting two modules per week. Modules were loaded onto SPMTs and transported a mile-long journey to the site. The heaviest module weighed 694.45 tonnes and was positioned on top of 92 axle-lines of SPMTs.
To position the modules at their final location, 18 climbing jacks were used. Since the modules needed to be set at a lower elevation than where they were initially received, the climbing jacks enabled crews to lower the modules beyond the stroke capacity of the SPMTs.
Once complete, this overhaul will increase the overall concourse length by more than 87 m, resulting in additional room for passengers and concessions, while also allowing for larger-capacity jets.
Earlier this week, HLPFI reported that Mammoet had committed to HVO across the Netherlands, UK and Canada.
