Abstract Manager

Bridges supporting taxiways carrying commercial aircraft remain relatively rare. Due to increased air travel demand, combined with increased development limiting airport expansion, the necessity of these bridges is increasing. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the 12^th busiest airport in the United States in 2022, is in the midst of a vital project to expand access between the north and south airfields through the construction of Crossfield Taxiway “U”.

This Construction Manager At-Risk (CMAR) project will include two new bridges to carry the taxiway, as well as 12 retaining walls. One of the bridges will cross over the airport’s main access roadways, which will be lowered by approximately 18 ft (5.5 m) to accommodate the taxiway. The other bridge will cross a vehicle access road and the existing PHX Sky Train® automated people mover, which opened in 2022. The access roadways and the automated people mover will remain in operation for the full duration of construction.

The bridges are designed for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airplane Design Group (ADG) VI gravity loading, controlled by the Airbus A380 airplane. Current FAA guidance on the design of bridges carrying aircraft loading is limited to a few bullet points and a reference to AASHTO’s Load and Resistance Factor Design 7^th Edition. In addition to these two documents, the American Concrete Institute (ACI) has published ACI 343R-95: Analysis and Design of Reinforced Concrete Bridge Structures, which includes a section on airport bridge loads; however, this document was last updated in 2004. This leaves much of the live load application methodology up to the designer. This presentation will explore these challenges and discuss our team’s solutions.