The Crossfield Taxiway Project is part of the Los Angeles International Airport’s (LAX) modernization plan. The project will widen and strengthen two existing cross-field taxiways immediately west of the Bradley Terminal. In addition, it will add or relocate facilities including taxiways and parking areas, add a new service road and utility corridor and construct a new aircraft rescue and fire fighting facility.

The improvements call for a new storm water treatment system. An underground solution was needed, as a retention pond was not appropriate due to structural issues and concerns with natural solutions encouraging bird activity. Complicating the matter, the site had problematic hydraulic and HGL issues.

The new system needed to treat a large volume of runoff and handle loading of an Airbus 380—the world’s largest passenger airplane (1.2 million lb)—and provide filtration to remove pollutants. In addition, a system that installed rapidly was needed, due to the aggressive 14-month schedule for the entire project. The solution chosen was the Stormwater Management StormFilter, housed in a CON/SPAN structure.

CON/SPAN is a modular three-sided concrete structure installed on a cast-in-place continuous foundation, which ensures structural integrity and eliminates differential settlement. The distinctive shape of CON/SPAN consists of an arch top and vertical sidewalls. CON/SPAN units can be designed for any loading condition, including HS 20-44, HS 25-44, AREMA (railroad) and aircraft loading.

Two separate systems were installed. The first system treats 15 cu ft per second of runoff in three rows of CON/SPAN units 24 ft wide by 7 ft tall by 56 ft 3-in. long. The second system treats 22 cfs in three rows of CON/SPAN units 24 ft wide by 7 ft tall by 48 ft long.

Both systems feature the Stormwater Management StormFilter, which removes challenging target pollutants—including soluble, heavy metals, oil, fine solids and total nutrients—using a variety of sustainable media.

Contech’s StormFilter has a proven two-decade history, and its two-year maintenance cycles mean there will be fewer maintenance events throughout the lifetime of the system. The self-cleaning hood prolongs cartridge life and promotes long-term performance.

The project was installed over the several months. The slab was poured for the foundation of the CON/SPAN arches, which installed very quckly and easily. Next, the flow kits were installed, followed by the StormFilter cartridges. Contech’s local storm water design engineer was able to meet directly with the design engineers to work out design issues face-to-face and was onsite during the installation.

A Qantas Airbus A380 weighing more than a million pounds was the first plane to land on the new 3,437-foot Crossfield Taxiway. The upgrading of LAX gives the airport the ability to handle super-jumbo jets such as the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The project also improves the safety and efficiency of aircraft movements on the ground, reducing aircraft emissions and alleviating congestion at the existing taxiway.

The CON/SPAN StormFilter system was determined to be the optimal solution to meet the challenging structural, technical and regulatory requirements of LAX, one of the nation’s busiest airports. Contech’s proven performance is providing a cleaner environment and protecting the local watershed that ultimately drains to the ocean.