Design and Technical Assistance of Mechanical, Electrical and Control Facilities when building a tunnel under Gibraltar Airport.

Due to improving the airport operability and as this is a special case where the entrance road crosses the runway, we projected a road tunnel under it.

Description

This tunnel permits free road transit without interrupting plane landing and taking off. We projected it following British regulations BD78/99 for tunnels and bridges. It has excellent security and redundancy levels in its design as it is considered a natural strategic tunnel (an almost submarine tunnel because of its proximity to the coast), its location (under the airport runway, next to military and frontier facilities in Spain) and its use (it channels road entrance and exit traffic from Spain).

It has advanced security systems for surveillance, communications, information and detection as well as double redundant systems for electrical supply, ventilation, draining and other required systems for its constant and reliable functioning.

Needs

This requires detailed design of Electrical, Mechanical and Control facilities to ensure safe functioning of the tunnel. Each of these have to be defined in an exact and coordinated manner to be carried out and set in motion. The project management follows the British system Project Management Plan according to British Standard Regulations.

Solution

We have created a detailed design project of electrical, mechanical and control installations with Category 3 certificates for Stage 2 according to the BD-78-99 Regulations for DESIGN MANUAL FOR ROADS AND BRIDGES and all the British Standard specific and involved regulations.

We have carried out all the specifications, detailed plans, maintenance and exploitation plans, test procedures and setting in motion, traffic plans and all the additional documentation required for the execution and set in service of the tunnel. We have also been a member of the TDSCG (Tunnel Design Safety Consultation Group) and the EPG (Emergency Plan Group). We participated in the decisions taken and we included the accepted conclusions in the tunnel design.

Design, hiring, supervision, system implantation assistance, set in motion and system validation have been carried out.

Benefits

It is a completely safe tunnel with state-of-art control systems, ventilation, energy, drainage, etc. That permits high service availability and high security levels that ensures people and infrastructure protection.

This project doubles the activity of Gibraltar Airport and consequently, increases activity in the Gibraltar area with the obvious economic benefits for the area.

Most Important Data
*(On the first 12 months)

10

Millions of Pounds (Project Cost)

360

Metres (Length of the Tunnel)

100

MW (Ventilation for Fire power)

20.000

Vehicles per day (Average Daily Intensity)

30

Days with the Autonomous Power Generation System in Operation

+50

Cameras in surveillance system

2×1.000

kVA (Energy system)

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