For George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to remain competitive in the global marketplace, the airport’s infrastructure must not only meet but exceed demands for increased capacity and optimal efficiency. Maintaining and enhancing airport infrastructure is critical and is widely acknowledged to be among the greatest challenges that airport owners face.

Houston Airports continues to be proactive in addressing needed improvements. The rehabilitation of Taxiway WA was undertaken late last year, and the 11,000-foot-long taxiway is poised to be fully reopened this month, pending final inspections and reviews. Most of the taxiway has been opened - ahead of schedule.  

Camileo Bagsby, Civil Inspector at IAH, has worked closely with Construction Manager Chad McGhee on the project and said that they were excited to have made such great progress. “The work on, and completion of, this project is of great benefit as we pursue the Skytrax 5-star airport goals the Airport Director has established,” Bagsby said. “And practically speaking, it’s going to benefit our tenants and even help us to attract new tenants.”

McGhee was complimentary of the team and cited that emergency repairs on Taxiways RA and SC were completed ahead of schedule, despite more than a week of rain during a planned 17- day closure. “Additionally,“ he said, “multiple other intersections also opened far ahead of schedule.”

The reconstruction of Taxiway WA includes:

• Two miles of improvements and widening and the reconstruction of 1.5  miles on Taxiway WA
• Widening of Taxiway WA to Airplane Design Group (ADG) VI criteria (wingspans greater than 214’)
• Including connector taxiways between Taxiway WB and Runway 15L-33R
• Widening of the pavement shoulder along affected taxiways
• Removal of midfield high speeds to improve airfield geometry
• A subsurface drainage system for all new pavement sections
• Upgrade taxiway pavement lighting system to LED, which will reduce electrical usage
• Updated airfield signage to current standards and LED lighting
• Complete Surface Movement Guidance and Control System in order to bring this system on-line in this portion of the west complex
• Restriping of Runway 15L/ 33R

The full-depth reconstruction of Taxiway WA includes widening the taxiway and shoulders to accommodate larger aircraft such as the Airbus 380. Once WA is “open for business,” the reconstruction of WB will follow.

The project and McGhee’s project photography were also recently featured in construction industry magazine Engineering News-Record.

Robert Barker, Chief Infrastructure Officer at HAS, said that multiple projects are planned and scheduled to be undertaken to focus on our airfield condition and customer experience in our public facilities as IAH and William P. Hobby Airport, HAS’s two 4-star airports (according to Skytrax, an international air transport rating organization) continue to build for the future and strive to achieve 5-star status.