Rehabilitation of Hosea Kutako International Airport Runway
Critical rehabilitation of Namibia's only international airport
Trusted for our deep technical skills, Zutari was appointed to both determine the cause, and propose the solution, for a rapidly deteriorating airport runway at Hosea Kutako International Airport; Namibia’s only international airport.
With the cause of damage correctly identified, the runway could be successfully rehabilitated and additional remedial measures taken to prevent deterioration of secondary runways, taxiways and aprons; allowing the airport to continue to operate as the largest and busiest airport in Namibia.
Hosea Kutako is Namibia’s only international airport, handling over 640 000 passengers and 14 000 aircraft movements a year. Zutari investigated concerns with the deteriorating runway, 4532 meters long, and identified that high asphalt permeability, cracking of longitudinal construction joints, inadequate cross-fall and insufficient maintenance had all contributed to the runway’s deteriorating surface.
Rehabilitation work took place mostly at night, ensuring continued flight operations throughout the construction processs.
Innovative measures were required to improve the draining and geometry of the existing, less-than-ideal runway site.
Zutari identified that the runway’s cross-fall was less than required, contributing to to ineffective draining and long-term damage to the runway surface. The solution included an appropriate asphalt design where delamination had taken place, and replacement of existing layers with a new asphalt overlay. The runway was also surfaced with an Ultra-Thin Friction Course to further improve its draining and increase the impermeability of the pavement to water while achieving the stringent skid resistance required.
*The Aurecon Africa business has been officially renamed Zutari as at 21 July 2020. Zutari acquired Aurecon Middle East on 20 November 2020.
