Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd

Sumburgh Airport Runway Extension

Client: Highlands & Islands Airports Ltd
Project Manager: Shetland Islands Council
Value (Target Cost): £8.5 million

Balfour Beatty's Sumburgh Airport Runway Extension was a joint venture between Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd and Shetlands Islands Council. The existing runway required to be extended to allow larger more modern aircraft to land to a more predictable schedule.

The project was, in the main, a marine reclamation project, with associated surfacing and finishing works, with the existing runway which extends from one side of the island to the other at Sumburgh in the South of the island being extended at both ends.

The challenge given to the Contractor was that within six weeks we had to agree a scheme of work that could be carried out within budget, the restraints of an operational airport including the environmental restraints, and built to be secure against the ravages of sea in the winter storms.

The work involved forming protective bunding with locally produced secondary armour and placing primary armour imported by barge from Norway. The primary armour was in the range of 15-20 tonnes and was placed by GPS controlled 90 tonnes hydraulic excavators.

The bulk fill is won locally from an on site borrow pit of suitable rock.

Back to selection