FAA Updates Specs to Include Precast Concrete
The Federal Aviation Administration recently updated its “Standard Specifications for Construction of Airports” advisory circular, which now contains language for precast concrete.
The Standard
The guidance had never previously had any verbiage for precast concrete before and has primarily featured cast-in-place methods, which could become a hurdle for those on the job, according to Ty Gable, president of the National Precast Concrete Association.
“The previous spec, which had not been updated for many years, had no mention of precast concrete,” Gable said in an NPCA statement.
“Cast-in-place was the preferred method, which meant that a pre-caster would often need to jump through hoops to persuade the local airport authority to convert a job to precast.”
The 717-page document highlights precast as a specific option for concrete drainage structures, and the guidance also requires that precast structures be provided by a plant meeting the requirements of the NPCA’s Plant Certification Program or a Resident Project Representative-approved third-party equivalent.
What’s more, the new specs are mandatory for all projects funded by federal grants, such as the Airport Improvement Program and projects funded by Passenger Facility Charge fees.
This comes on the heels of the five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Act, which allocated $96.7 billion in funding for aviation programs.
The NPCA says that it had been working with the FAA director of Airport Safety and Standards to update FAA specifications to align with ASTM standards.
“The FAA Advisory Circular covers 19,000-plus airport authorities, including hundreds of major hub airports,” Gable said.
“It is likely to create a domino effect through the Department of Defense, which references the FAA spec, and other federal agencies. This is a big deal—a big win for NPCA and the precast concrete industry and the result of a lot of hard work and constant follow-up.”
