Updates
June 2008 – Big Piles of Sand
With the end of the demolition of the old terminal and the arrival of spring, our civil engineering construction contractor has resumed its activities. Since the new section is slightly lower than the old terminal, the apron must be laid out to take the new drainage into account. Because of this requirement, they removed a portion of the old apron and rebuilt the slopes of the new apron. The apron on the site of the old terminal has yet to be constructed, and since it is necessary to have materials that are able to be compacted under the new concrete slabs, the existing sand had to be removed, and will be replaced by specific aggregates that meet the engineering requirements.
Once the aggregates are compacted, the travelled surfaces will be finished with asphalt, and the aircraft parking areas will be finished with concrete. Concrete slabs should be poured at or about the end of July or early August. As was the case when the east apron was built last year, surfaces will be prepared during the day, and the concrete strips will be poured at night. Since the temperature is cooler at night, it allows the concrete to dry more slowly, and minimizes the risk of cracking. When the concrete is dry enough, the contractor will make saw marks at regular intervals which will direct any cracking that might occur.
If everything goes as planned, the civil work should be finished in September, just in time for the installation of the new loading bridges that are to be delivered on August 27.
In parallel with the civil engineering work, the terminal contractor will build the foundations for the fixed bridges that will be added to the west side of the new wing. These fixed bridges will be, for all intents and purposes, identical to the fixed bridges of the current terminal. Again, this work should be finished in time for the arrival of the new bridges.
We are increasingly confident that all the Phase II work will be completed before the end of the year.