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Houston Airport System 

Project Details

Solutions

Location

Houston, TX

Client / Owner

City of Houston

Houston Airport System

The Houston Airport System (HAS) is an air services network that provides global connectivity for residents of the Houston region and promotes the area’s economic growth. HAS operates three airports: George Bush Intercontinental Airport/Houston (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), and Ellington Airport (EFD), which served a combined 60 million passengers in 2019 . IAH is a major connecting hub for United Airlines and an international gateway. HOU is a focus city for Southwest Airlines as well as a major base for corporate aviation. EFD, a general aviation facility, is home to military aviation users, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Houston Spaceport.

Airfield

The City of Houston and the Houston Airport System retained RS&H to perform runway and taxiway rehabilitation work at both George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and William P. Hobby Airport. Heavy use over time had caused the airfield pavements at IAH to deteriorate. RS&H performed rehabilitation for the 12,000-foot-long Runway 15L-33R, and all of its associated taxiways. An innovative aerial photography/CADD data interface was used, permitting much of the engineering evaluations to be completed with minimal runway down time. At HOU, we rehabilitated Runway 4-22 and Taxiway C. Runway 4-22 is one of a few continuously reinforced concrete pavements in the world. Due to issues with the initial construction of the runway in the 1980s, both ends of the runway had significantly honeycombed concrete, leading to the need for replacement of each runway end.

Environmental Stewardship & Resiliency

RS&H has provided comprehensive on-call environmental services to the HAS since 2014. RS&H has led a multidisciplinary team including 12 specialty environmental scientists and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) specialists in over 70 assignments including air quality, water quality, wetlands, biological resources, historic and cultural resources, hazardous materials, NEPA, and strategic planning.

The breadth and depth of RS&H’s experience has benefited the HAS by enabling HAS staff to anticipate environmental requirements in support of the capital improvement program.

Drainage Master Plans

RS&H provided an updated Drainage Master Plan (DMP) and Storm Water Quality Master Plan (SWQMP) for George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Ellington/Houston Spaceport, and William P. Hobby Airport as part of Houston Airport System (HAS) general engineering contract (GEC). The DMP and SWQMP are essential corollaries to the Airport Master Plan (AMP) to identify necessary drainage improvements addressing existing drainage issues and accommodating future development listed in the AMP.

The George Bush Intercontinental DMP provides an analysis of pre- and post- development hydrologic and hydraulic conditions utilizing HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS software to identify impacts to the 100-year floodplain within the airport property, as well as potential adverse impacts to the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) facilities located downstream. The DMP includes multiple alternatives and a recommendation for mitigation/detention facilities to ensure that drainage systems meet conveyance criteria and future development does not cause flooding in surrounding properties.

The objective of the SWQMP was to identify potential development impacts on existing storm water quality features and to provide water quality guidance and recommendations for the future improvement projects detailed in the Airport Master Plan. In addition, the study analyzed existing structural and non-structural best management practices (BMPs) and identified new BMPs that could be effectively used to address storm water quality concerns.

Similar studies were completed for Ellington/Houston Spaceport and William P. Hobby Airport which presented some unique challenges related to property availability for stormwater facilities, wildlife attraction concerns, off-airport improvements and associated coordination, and multiple jurisdictional requirements.

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