From June 28th, the ADP Group and Colas teams will be rehabilitating runway 3 at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. Until October 10th, a hundred or so workers will be working in shifts on this operation.
Runway 3 at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport is 2,700 meters long and was brought into service in 2000.
"The work that will begin in a few days' time is part of the regular maintenance cycle for such an infrastructure. In particular, redoing the asphalt means reinforcing the structure of the runway and improving its grip for the next twenty years," stresses Thierry de Séverac, Chief Engineering and Development officer at Groupe ADP.
In addition to repairing the asphalt, the ADP Group will be carrying out various projects, all related to runway 3:
- The 7 taxiways that serve it will also be rehabilitated;
- In conjunction with the French Civil Aviation Authority, the ILS (Instrument Landing System) radio navigation equipment, which enables aircraft to land in poor visibility, will be replaced;
- Météo-France equipment will be relocated;
- The end-of-runway safety areas, which can be used to accommodate aircraft that miss their landing, will be reinforced.
Runway 3 at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport is 2,700 meters long and was brought into service in 2000.
"The work that will begin in a few days' time is part of the regular maintenance cycle for such an infrastructure. In particular, redoing the asphalt means reinforcing the structure of the runway and improving its grip for the next twenty years," stresses Thierry de Séverac, Chief Engineering and Development officer at Groupe ADP.
In addition to repairing the asphalt, the ADP Group will be carrying out various projects, all related to runway 3:
- The 7 taxiways that serve it will also be rehabilitated;
- In conjunction with the French Civil Aviation Authority, the ILS (Instrument Landing System) radio navigation equipment, which enables aircraft to land in poor visibility, will be replaced;
- Météo-France equipment will be relocated;
- The end-of-runway safety areas, which can be used to accommodate aircraft that miss their landing, will be reinforced.
Sustainable site management
"Responsible management of a construction site means taking into account all the parameters that will reduce its environmental impact. Concrete actions have been implemented, particularly with regard to the entire life cycle of materials and equipment," continues Thierry de Séverac.
All natural aggregates will be transported by rail instead of by road. This decision will result in an estimated 27% reduction in greenhouse gases. At the same time, the rate of recycled aggregates in the basic formulations of future asphalt mixes will be around 30%. A new track with part of the old one.
Like the other recently rehabilitated runways, Runway 3 will eventually be fitted with LED lighting. The advantages are twofold: it will reduce the emissions linked to the powering of the lighting of runway 3 by 10 tons of CO2 per year, and it will also increase the visibility of the runway for the pilots.
What impact will this have on the people living near the airport?
Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport has four runways, divided into two independent doublets. The 15-week closure of runway 3 will shift some of the traffic to the southern doublet. Nevertheless, given the current level of air traffic linked to COVID-19, the levels will be lower than in the summer of 2019.
