Construction of a $27-million runway project for Spaceport America is on track for completion nearly two months ahead of schedule 

Norcross, Ga. (Vocus/PRWEB ) March 17, 2010 -- Construction of a $27-million runway project for Spaceport America is on track for completion nearly two months ahead of schedule, thanks to machine control technology from Leica Geosystems.

Guntert & Zimmerman PS1200 with Leica PaveSmart 3D
The Spaceport project, located in a remote area 35 miles southwest of Truth or Consequences, N.M., will make space tourism a reality. The state of New Mexico and two local counties are putting up $198 million for this unique project.

Construction is being greatly accelerated with the aid of GPS and robotic total station machine control from Leica Geosystems, says David Guerra, superintendent for David Montoya Construction, the project’s contractor. “We should be finished with the runway by the third week in July – almost two months ahead of our scheduled date of September 16,” he notes. “And the Leica Geosystems machine control equipment is the reason we’re going to be early.”

After rapid preparation of the subgrade with their Leica PowerGrade 3D GPS-equipped dozers and motorgraders, a GOMACO 9500 Series fine-grade trimmer equipped with Leica PaveSmart 3D takes over to get the subgrade to plus or minus 1/100th foot. “Using PaveSmart 3D to control the trimmer alone cuts fine grading time to a third of what it takes with a motorgrader”, says Guerra. Use of the Leica Geosystems 3D-equipped trimmer should also deliver significant improvements in concrete yields for the paving phase, compared with traditional techniques.

Montoya is now gearing up for paving the 10,000-foot long runway with their Guntert & Zimmerman S850 slipform paver, The paver will make six passes, each 33.3 feet wide, to cover the 200-foot runway width also controlled by Leica PaveSmart 3D (LMGS-S) system, using high precision Leica robotic total stations, PaveSmart 3D will regulate steer, grade, draft and crossfall of the slipform paver in real-time.

Leica Geosystems Machine control saves contractors significant time because it eliminates the labor costs for detailed surveying for the runway, stakeout of hubs, setting bluetops and set up of traditional stringlines used with slipform paving plus data handling between all machines on site becomes easier throughout the entire project — the net result being a lower cost, high productivity construction process.

Additional product information:

Leica PowerGrade 3D – www.leica-geosystems.us/en/Leica-PowerGrade-3D_70038.htm

Leica PaveSmart 3D - www.leica-geosystems.us/en/GOMACO-Mainline-Slipformer-3D-System_17076.htm

About Leica Geosystems
With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyze, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and present spatial information.

Those who use Leica Geosystems products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 3,500 employees in 28 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden.