DIA Economy Parking - Denver, CO

Project Focus
In 1993 IHC completed the twin on-grade parking lots at the outside of each parking structure on the east & west sides of the new DIA terminal building. Originally planned for the rental car facilities, these parking lots were changed to provide direct parking for the general public while rental facilities were moved further out on Airport Boulevard. This $12.4 million contract built nearly 325,000 square yards of 5” plain PCCP for automobile parking, and 8” PCCP for bus and service roads in the parking area.

Project Details
Schedule & Complexity
Access to the Terminal area for several hundred contractor employees and all terminal construction materials was through the limits of this project at the new green-field DIA, $3.2 billion airport. IHC had to coordinate with nine other prime contractors, several utility companies and a minimum of ten rental car companies, prior to the decision to change the location. A partnering session with Owner, Designer and all related contractors helped to improve the communication, and setup a dispute resolution that ensured the project remained on schedule. Because IHC concrete plants and other resources were already committed on other DIA projects during the day, all paving was accomplished at night. In addition approximately 50% of the work was completed in cold weather conditions due to the fact that this was one of the last projects to be bid at the new airport, and immediately became critical path for opening of the airport.

Construction & Innovation
The majority of the open areas were constructed by slipform paving at 30’ widths. Intermediate saw cuts were used to provide 10’x10’ maximum panels for the 5” paving areas. Joints were cleaned and sealed with hot-pour. To provide for cold weather, IHC utilized a boiler for heating batch water, and insulating blankets to maintain the heat of hydration for curing of the concrete. In-slab thermometers were used to monitor slab temperatures.

Quality
The average strength achieved was 5542 psi at 28 days on a specification requiring 3000 psi minimum. The thickness averaged 5.45” for the 5” PCCP and 8.35” for the 8” PCCP. This project received the ACPA National Award of Excellence for The Best PCCP Parking Lot built for private or public agencies in the USA in 1993.