Jersey Airport Runway Refurbishment Briefing Paper
Introduction
The runway at Jersey Airport was last resurfaced during the winter of 1989/90. It is now well beyond its initial design life of 12 to 15 years.
The runway has been re-textured twice as a result of indications that the friction of the runway surface has declined significantly. It cannot be retextured again. Recent surveys also suggest the load-bearing capacity of the runway needs to be increased in certain areas, and there is a known void under the threshold of Runway 27 which needs to be filled.
In short, the runway is failing owing to the reduction both in load bearing capability and surface integrity which has resulted in an ongoing reduction in the friction characteristics.
Runway Designation
Runway coding comprises 2 elements: element 1 is a number based on the Aeroplane Reference Field Length and element 2 is a letter based on the aeroplane wing span and outer main wheel span.
The Jersey Airport runway had been designated for many years as a Code 3C Runway on the basis aircraft that used Jersey Airport in former years were invariably classed as Code 3C aircraft, thus requiring a Runway designated as 3C to support those movements.
(It is worthy of note that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 14 Recommendation for a Code 3C Runway is that it should be 30 metres wide. The runway is in fact 45 metres wide, which is an unusual (but beneficial) anomaly from which it could be concluded that, at some time in the past, the runway was designed so as to safeguard for a time when Code 4C aircraft would routinely use Jersey Airport).
In addition, the UK CAA Civil Aviation Publication 168 requires that an Aerodrome (Runway) Reference Code should be the greater of the Take Off Distance Available (TODA) or the Accelerate Stop Distance Available (ASDA) for that runway. A Code 4C runway requires the greater of those distances to be 1800 metres or over. The figures for the runway at Jersey Airport are:
- Runway 27 TODA 2469 metres
- Runway 09 TODA 1889 metres
The Jersey Airport runway therefore requires Code 4C designation.
At the invitation of the airport, in early 2007 the Civil Aviation Authority conducted aerodrome audits in Jersey, whereupon the profile of the runway and its ability to safely accommodate the larger aircraft that regularly visit Jersey was highlighted. The type of aircraft regularly using Jersey Airport (Boeing 737, Airbus A320, E195) require a Reference Field Length Code of 4 in order to provide them with a suitable surface on which to operate.
Furthermore the Runway is not ICAO compliant in that it is already 45 metres wide; an anomalous situation which does not sit well with its current Code 3C designation, but which gives a great advantage when re-designating the runway to Code 4C.
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Part of the UKCAA Aerodrome Licensing process contains a Condition that requires any major development on the airfield to be planned to eliminate as many non-compliant elements to ICAO Annex 14 Standards as possible.
Consequential cost impacts
In keeping with its stated intention to be safety compliant to the greatest extent possible and to operate as a best practice facility, Jersey Airport therefore plans to undertake sufficient works to bring the runway closer to the compliance requirements of a Code 4C runway.
The main impact of the decision will be a change in physical characteristics of the runway, making it straighter and flatter i.e. removing undulations (vertical curves not less than 30,000m between thresholds), strengthening to the full width of 45m and generally improving the functionality and lifespan. This will improve the dynamic characteristics for the aircraft using the runway which is important to the heavy fast jets such as the B737 and A320 types, and particularly important to those larger, aircraft such as the B757 which occasionally use Jersey Airport.
In June 2007 when a briefing was given by management to the Chief Minister, Minister and Assistant Minister for Economic Development and the States Chief Executive, an estimate was presented for runway rehabilitation against the then known compliance standards, being 3C, of between £13 million and £16 million.
The recommendations of the audit were provided to airport management after that briefing and subsequent design work and cost estimates have resulted in a project cost of £17,644,000.
In addition to project costs, the original program was planned around a 10 hour night works window between 2100 and 0700, the re-opening being some 1.5 hours later than normal for freight movements.
Owing to the impact on Jersey Post and newspaper distribution, and the flow-on effects to the wider community, this window has had to be reduced to 9 hours. The resultant costs have yet to be fully quantified, but are believed to be in the order of £1.5 million.
The total cost, therefore, is estimated to be £19.16 million.
The summary position is:
Original Budget
Code 3C Resurfacing to 30 metre width £12,558,000
Airfield Ground Lighting Replacement £ 982.000
Total £ 13,540,000
Additional Costs (estimates)
4C Geometric Compliance £ 2,600,000
Resurfacing to 45 metre width £ 1,005.000
Increase in Fees £ 224,000
Contingency and Inflation Increase £ 275,000
Restricted (9-hour) work window £ 1,500,000
New Total £ 19,144,000
Timing considerations
The works are planned to be undertaken between September 2008 and August 2009, with the bulk of the work occurring during the quieter winter period and all of it at night.
To meet these timeframes, tenders must be issued in January 2008, requiring funding be secure prior by early December in order to prepare the necessary tender and related paperwork.
Additional information
In November 2007 Jersey Airport commissioned a Peer Review of the proposed Runway Overlay Project by JE Jacobs. Key aims were to ensure that the requirement to designate the Runway as Code 4C was correct and that the proposed design solution represented best value for money.
JE Jacobs report was presented to the Airport in early January 2008. It confirms that the Runway should be designed using Code 4C criteria and that a runway overlay is required on grounds of safety and to safeguard the continuity of operations. They also concluded that that the Design Consultant, “has produced a competent and professional piece of design work that in most respects meets the normal requirements for a project of this type.” They do however note that there are some matters worthy of further consideration prior to finalising tender documention. These matters are summarised in the Executive Summary of their report (copy attached) and are currently under review by the Design Team.
Whilst this review is undertaken and in order to achieve the tight timescales required for the issue of the tender, approval to increase the Budget approval to £19,144,000 is being requested.
The current Budget approvals in place for this project are:-
£ Budget Year
Design 500,000 2007
Construction & AGL system 13,540,000 2008
TOTAL 14,040,000
The Budget increase requested is therefore £5,104,000.
It should be noted that the Budget of £19,144,000 remains an estimated sum at this stage. This may reduce as a result of the value engineering proposals put forward by JE Jacobs. Further, the budget provision of £1,500,000 for additional costs relating to the restricted 9 hour work window is a “provision”. It will not be possible to determine if it will be an actual additional cost until the tenders have been submitted and evaluated.
Sandy Sawyer – Assistant Director - Aviation Services
Jim Shilliday – Assistant Director - Corporate & Commercial Services
16th January 2008
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