Aircraft are seen taking off from the flat and smooth runways at the Munda Airport on the Solomon Islands.
An aerial view of a runway at the Munda Airport on the Solomon Islands [Photo provided to sasac.gov.cn]
China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) was responsible for the airport’s runway upgrading project. In addition to the runway upgrading, the project also included pipe culvert backfilling and construction of the road shoulder.
Operation of the project greatly improved capacity at Munda Airport and guaranteed take-off and landing security while improving passenger travel experience.
Construction of the project was an unforgettable experience for the builders. The demand of stones for backfilling greatly increased because of design change. The changeable weather made shipment extremely hard, which might have slowed down the construction.
Using local materials was a way to break the ice. It was lucky that the builders found that coral sand in coastal waters could be used as the backfilling material as its loose granular structure meets requirement for concrete aggregate.
However, large-scale development of the coral sand in coastal waters would impact the marine ecology, which made builders give up the idea.
Li Jiaan, purchasing clerk of the project, one day was inspired by a documentary on the Himalaya Mountains.
Based on the idea of “the sea can change into mountains as time goes by,” Li supposed that coral sand might be found on land on Munda Island.
Therefore, Li came up with an idea to survey for coral sand on land areas.
Builders finally discovered some white-yellow stones under a hill, which were exactly the coral sand sought.
The road replaces the hill bearing coral sand and separates the living area of the local residents and the main road. [Photo provided to sasac.gov.cn]
Builders immediately communicated with the local government on development of the materials and obtained the certificate for environmentally-friendly development.
While, in addition to permission from the government, local residents were also crucial in development of the coral sand as they own the land.
As the living area and the main road were separated by the hill bearing coral sand, CCCC builders suggested removing the hill and building a road for local residents, which would make their travel more convenient. The win-win proposal gained support from the residents, starting development of the coral sand and ensuring the construction of the project.
Thanks to the local material, the project was completed a week ahead of schedule and won applause from the buyer.
(Executive editor: Zhu Zeya)
