Philadelphia International Airport

Banner photo credit: Google Earth

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE) serve one of the nation’s ten largest metropolitan areas, accommodating more than 28 million passengers each year. 

Taxiway J Rehabilitation

The Philadelphia Department of Aviation (DOA) engaged RS&H to design the rehabilitation of Taxiway J that will transform airport operations at PHL. RS&H performed design and bid phase services to reconstruct Taxiway J from Taxiway Z to Taxiway Y and connect Taxiways K7, K8, and their associated safety areas. The concrete repair work was divided into multiple construction phases to reduce the number of taxiway closures and minimize impacts on cargo operations. This project also utilized a recycled glass aggregate base course both for sustainability and material weight reduction reasons.  

The project also showcases PHL’s commitment to enhancing the sustainable performance of their airport by using Envision as a guiding framework.  

Sustainable Infrastructure

RS&H is assisting the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Aviation (DOA) development into a regional and industry leader in sustainability and resilient design.  

A key feature of DOA’s strategy is the Envision rating system. Envision is a complex, multi-disciplinary framework for rating and assessing the sustainability and resiliency of infrastructure projects through planning, design, construction, and operations. RS&H supports the PHL/PNE Envision Program and has developed the Envision Guidance Document (EGD) for airside projects at PHL/PNE. The EGD leads project teams through DOA’s process for integrating Envision into Aviation airfield projects, providing guidance for sustainability strategies, applicability for airside projects at PHL/PNE, and recommendations for achieving a recommended level of achievement. The EGD includes an extensive reference document library and templates that support project teams’ analyses and calculations. 

RS&H developed the EGD by benchmarking industry standards and best practices, coordinating information-sharing sessions with industry leaders, and utilizing the team’s institutional knowledge. Strategies supported by the EGD include an Airfield Irrigation Policy, Sustainable Construction Outreach, Low-Carbon Concrete Mix Designs, and Non-Invasive Turf Grass Standards. Procedures developed to support the Envision Program include feasibility evaluation procedures and Envision submittal review documents and processes. The robust review process includes evaluation of submittals at multiple checkpoints throughout the design timeline to ensure the highest level of achievement possible and to maintain uniformity of submittals. 

Utilizing RS&H’s in-house expertise and resources developed for the Envision Program, RS&H successfully guided the Taxiway J project through the Envision process, resulting in the project achieving Envision “Verified” status. This achievement marks the Taxiway J project as the first at PHL/PNE and the first in Pennsylvania to receive an Envision award.