The project involved two components for Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Airport. The first was realigning a section of dual carriageway along the A45 as part of the A45 Corridor Improvements Scheme and the second was to extend Birmingham Airport’s runway by 405m and allow aircrafts to fly direct to destinations currently out of reach. These two elements were delivered under a single contract as the A45 ran past the end of the runway it required realignment to provide room for the runway extension.
A45 Corridor Improvement & Airport Runway Extension
Project Overview
- Realign 2km of the A45.
- Extend Birmingham Airport runway by 405m.
- Earthworks value £1,750,000.00.
- Bulk excavation and deposition 650,000m3 material.
- Pavement works and tie in works.
The purpose of the A45 transport corridor improvement scheme is to reduce congestion and improve safety and accessibility. The construction of the new 2km horse shoe shape ‘loop’ road was a huge challenge as the A45 is a major arterial road and any closures would have affected the West Midlands greatly. To overcome this challenge the road was constructed in sections, which allowed work to continue in stages with no overlap, and all ducting and cables were relocated into a new services corridor that ran adjacent to the new road and a major watercourse.
After completion of the A45 corridor improvement the focus switched to extending the runway. As well as the extension the entire 2.6km runway was resurfaced as well as delivering numerous other upgrades to the airport’s infrastructure.
