An MTH at work at the new Bolzano airport

Stabilizing the runway at the new Bolzano airport in Alto Adige

“A mile of road can take you a mile, but a mile of runway can take you anywhere,” is a saying that every airplane enthusiast knows. The runways planes use to take off and land are the main infrastructure at each airport — asphalt strips designed and built according to precise criteria, starting with stabilizing the underlying soil.

On many occasions and in different parts of the world, FAE soil stabilizer heads and multitasks have helped build these important structures. Recently, a FAE MTH performed soil stabilization work at the new Bolzano airport, a strategic facility for Alto Adige in terms of tourism and commercial traffic.

A few months ago, domestic and international charter flights began landing on the runway again for business and tourism. Now, the need for additional work on the runway has reactivated the construction site in anticipation of the airport's full reopening.

The company in charge of the soil stabilization work for the runway at Bolzano airport is Brunner & Leiter, based out of Valle Aurina, Italy, since 1975. It received the subcontract for the soil stabilization work from the airport management company.

The project manager for Brunner & Leiter at the Bolzano airport construction site explained the salient features of the work to us. “The FAE MTH worked with a Fendt 1038 tractor, stabilizing 11,000 m² of soil to 25 cm deep. The machine could have gone deeper, but the specifications told us to work at this depth. The soil wasn't very difficult to work, but there were still some medium-sized stones, which were no match for the MTH."

Can you tell us about the job?
“First, we stabilized the soil using only cement. Before we started milling, we wet the ground slightly. Then, we went over it with the MTH at 0.3 km/h. We could have gone much faster, but this way we got the best quality mixing the soil. After going over the ground with the MTH, we went over it twice with two different rollers, first a 12-ton one and then a 9-ton rubber one. We then wet the ground again and went over it one more time with a grader, which made the surface smooth and level at all elevations, ready to be paved.” At the site, they were able to work 3,000 m² a day, considering all the necessary processes, while the MTH alone worked for about five days.

How did you like the FAE machine?
“We are very happy with the MTH. Brunner & Leiter has four other FAEs, and they have always worked perfectly. They are completely reliable,” concluded the project manager.