Ramboll was commissioned to produce an outline strategic brief for a scheme to improve access between the city centre and the airport adjacent to the frontier with Spain. The broad objective was to provide for a free flow of traffic; this is currently interrupted by airfield operations where 600m of the existing road crosses the runway.
Winston Churchill Avenue is the only road linking Gibraltar to mainland Spain, and the Gibraltar Airport runway was built across it in 1941. This means the road is closed more than 15 tmes a day when flights need to land or take-off.
Our engineers recommended constructing a new 2.3km dual carriageway road around the airfield’s eastern side, a recommendation itself subjected to a further feasibility study. This proposal was accepted and, in February 2007, we were instructed to prepare an outline design which was completed in May of that year.
The scheme includes a tunnel to carry vehicles under the Gibraltar Airport runway, a subway to carry pedestrians and cyclists under the runway, approach ramps to the tunnel and two footbridges to accommodate a new pedestrian/cyclist route together with all associated mechanical and electrical installations, drainage, street lighting and connections to and adjustment of existing infrastructure. Our remit also included the provision of an auditing and monitoring role.
Following termination of the construction contract by the Client, Ramboll was subsequently appointed to undertake a full detailed design.
