$51 million for runway safety upgrades

The CEO of Sydney Airport, Kerrie Mather, announced today that Sydney Airport has successfully completed the $26 million runway resurfacing project and has commenced a $25 million project to install stop bar lights.

These are important safety projects for the more than 35 million passengers who use Australia’s busiest airport each year.

“Safety at Sydney Airport is paramount. Last year we completed the $100 million runway end safety area project. This year we have completed the runway resurfacing and have now commenced work on the stop bar lights.

“In line with our absolute commitment to safety, Sydney Airport will continue to invest in its airfield to provide the aeronautical infrastructure that Sydney needs,” Ms Mather said.

To minimise disruption to airlines and passengers, construction on both these safety projects has been, and will be, undertaken overnight from 11.00pm to 5.00am.

The resurfacing was an essential safety project and involved major maintenance work on the main north-south runway, the east-west runway and some taxiways, including:

• removal of airfield ground lighting;
• removal and milling of the top layers of asphalt on the existing runway;
• reinstatement of new asphalt; and
• reinstatement of airfield ground lighting and line marking.

The installation of stop bar lights at the taxiway entries to the three runways at Sydney Airport is a safety initiative to prevent aircraft from inadvertently entering a runway without air traffic control clearance.

The use of stop bars requires a pilot to stop and hold the aircraft at the red stop bar lights and to proceed onto the runway only when air traffic control gives a verbal instruction and switches off the red lights while simultaneously turning on the interlocked runway lead in lights. Stop bar lights provide an additional safety safeguard.

Construction is scheduled to be completed in mid-2012 and will involve:

• civil infrastructure works (conduits, pits and ducts);
• electrical enabling works (light installation, cabling);
• building works (lighting equipment room upgrades);
• control system installation (hardware and software systems); and
• final commissioning (testing and training).