Rehabilitating and Enhancing the Best Airport in North America
Indianapolis Municipal Airport opened in 1931. Since 1962, the airport has been owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA). In 1976, the board renamed the airport Indianapolis International Airport. Today, IND served more than 7.1 million business and leisure travelers and is consistently ranked, year after year, as the best airport in North America and the nation, based on ease of use, passenger amenities, customer service, local retail offerings and public art. The airport is home of the world’s second largest FedEx operation and the nation’s eighth-largest cargo facility.
Runway 5L-23R and 5R-23L and the associated taxiways were in need of rehabilitation and capacity enhancement. Several designers and contractors have been involved with the multiple phases of these upgrades but since 2015 WBA and WaboCrete® II have been a common thread through these enhancements. The elastomeric properties, excellent adhesion, fast return to service and abrasion resistance made WaboCrete II the choice solution for the partial depth spall repair scope on this project.
Long-term Stability and Sustainability
The end result of this project gives the airport long-term stability and sustainability for future growth accommodating larger and more modern aircraft from passenger and cargo carriers, including FedEx who call who call this airport home and tout the world’s second largest FedEx operation and the nation’s eighth largest cargo facility.
The airport occupies 7,700 acres (3,116 ha) in Wayne and Decatur townships in Marion County and Guilford Township in Hendricks County. IND is home to the second largest FedEx Express hub in the world; only the FedEx SuperHub in Memphis, Tennessee surpasses its cargo traffic. Additionally, because of FedEx's activity, IND ranked as the sixth busiest U.S. airport in terms of air cargo throughput in 2020.