06 January 2009
Construction of the new Air Traffic Control building and tower at Jersey Airport, which began last October is progressing well. Work on the foundations has now been completed and construction of the new tower itself is due to begin as of Monday 12 January. This initial stage will involve ‘slip forming’, which is a technique used to construct high rise buildings by the continuous pouring of concrete. The process is likely to take up to five days, which will also involve night work.
The decision to construct the new building and tower was made as the existing one, currently sited in the 1937 arrivals terminal, has now reached the end of its useful life and is beyond economic repair. In addition, under safety laws as set down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) the current building is too close to the runway and therefore causes an obstruction.
The principal building will be two storeys high alongside a high quality cladding tower which will be 39 metres high. Construction of the new building, which has a budget of £6m, is likely to take up to
53 weeks to complete. This will be followed by a further six months for the equipment fit out and officer training before the facility becomes fully operational in the second quarter of 2010. The current air traffic facilities will subsequently be demolished.
Explaining the use of the slip form process, Operations Director for Jersey Airport, Sandy Sawyer, said “This is a critical stage of the construction process and due to the size of the tower it is necessary for us to adopt this slip form building process. As it involves continuous pouring it does mean that the contractors, AC Mauger will have to work through the night to complete it. Whilst we apologise for any inconvenience to nearby residents we have consulted with health protection and will be working to acceptable noise levels, thereby causing the minimum of inconvenience”. A letter explaining the work process is being sent out to nearby residents.
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