Kotoka International Airport Northern Apron Project

Kotoka International Airport , has seen a significant rise in the passenger throughput from 1998 to 2019.

The significant rise became evident after the completion of Phases 2 & 3 of the development plan.

To meet the challenge posed by the growth, which is about 5%, The Ghana Airport company decided to embark on providing addition aircraft stands (apron) to ensure adequate facilities.

This project was named the Northern apron project. The project sought to provide ten parking stands (4 code E aircrafts and 6 Code C aircrafts) with associated Aeronautical Ground Lighting. In addition the taxiway is to be extended by 400 meters, so it can be at par with the existing Runway.

The topography of the terrain meant constructing an embankment of average height of 12 meters. The negotiated construction time was 42 months.

The challenge posed by this high embankment which would be made up of lateritic soil, was settlement. However in this endeavour, zero tolerance for settlement was required moreover, the existing ground level had a California Bearing Ratio of 30%

To offset the challenge posed by settlement, Rockfill was proposed by the contractor and accepted by the Consultant since the haulage distances were almost the same and would result in the saving of about 6 months. The rockfill of 450,000 m³ was divided into layers with sizes decreasing as the fill approached the pavement layers. The fill was overlain with a capping layer.

This paper describes the design and the  construction, the challenges met and the solutions and other reconsideration of specifications on elements of the aerodrome.