Auckland International Airport needed a new taxiway to accommodate the Airbus A380 aircraft, as well as reduce aircraft congestion and delays and improve safety at times of low visibility.

Once constructed, this 600m-long 60m-wide taxiway doubled aircraft access from the busy international terminal to the main runway.

Using Fulton Hogan’s multi-disciplinary engineering capabilities, the runway has 20km of electrical ducts, 6km of subsoil drainage, 1km of concrete pipes and 53 airfield lights running through it. The most complex aspect was the tie-in sections of the taxiway programmed during set shutdowns over a six-week period.

Taxiway Lima was constructed over a nine-month period, using 50,000 tonnes of recycled concrete and 15,500 tonnes of asphalt. This approach had several significant benefits, with reduced demand for raw material, lower cost to the client, and less impact on the environment.

Taxiway Lima was the first of a network of taxiways serving the airport’s northern runway.