Kingsway (Gibraltar)

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Route information
Length1.2 km (0.75 mi)
ExistedMarch 31, 2023 (2023-03-31)–present
Major junctions
South endDevil's Tower Road
North endWinston Churchill Avenue
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
Overseas territoryGibraltar

Since the construction of the airport runway across it in the 1940s, Winston Churchill Avenue—the main road in and out of Gibraltar—has crossed the airport runway. This has caused delays and tailbacks as the road closes when aircraft take off and land (more than 15 times per day).[1] Consequently, a bypass tunnel was proposed, to allow traffic to pass under the runway at all times.[2]

History

In the late 2000s, a project to build a tunnel and a four-lane diversion road was approved by the Government of Gibraltar. The construction contract was signed in November 2008 by Chief Minister Sir Peter Caruana.[3] With a cost around £30 million, the project was planned for completion in 2010.[4]

Construction on the project began in December 2008.[4] By the contracted completion date, only 25% of the project had been completed.[4] In July 2011, the Government terminated the contract alleging the contractor Obrascón Huarte Lain (OHL) had failed to comply with the contract.[4] In May 2012, the contractor took the Government to court, alleging wrongful termination of the contract, and sought £6.5 million in damages.[5] In April 2014, the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ordered the contractor to pay the completion costs of the project.[5]

Kingsway tunnel under construction in 2018

In June 2016, the Government and OHL reached a settlement, with OHL agreeing to complete the project at a price of £24 million, with a completion date of November 2018.[6] Further construction delays owing to sub-standard work[7] meant that the tunnel was not handed over to the Government until summer 2022.[8] Testing and commissioning of various tunnel systems followed, including working with emergency services.[9] The final cost of the project was £34 million.[10]

On 31 March 2023, at one minute past midnight, the new road and tunnel access route to Gibraltar was opened to the public, and vehicular access across the runway was closed.[11] The road was named 'Kingsway' in an inauguration ceremony by Chief Minister Fabian Picardo the day before.[12][13] The naming of the road had been approved by Charles III.[14]

Route description

Kingsway passes under the new terminal and towards the eastern edge of the runway, at which point, it passes through a 350-meter (1,150 ft) tunnel[15] under it and connects via a roundabout with Devil's Tower Road on the opposite side of the runway. After the tunnel on the north side of the runway, Kingsway runs parallel to the frontier, passing under the air terminal fly-over section. The road then branches into two, with one road leading to the loop and the frontier, and another leading to the Air Terminal, North Front, and Winston Churchill Avenue.[16] A dedicated tunnel for use by pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooters is also provided on a higher elevation alongside the road tunnel. The total length of the new road is approximately 1.2 kilometers (0.75 mi).[15]

Although the road across the runway remains in place, for exceptional, specific, or emergency use, it is not available for routine day-to-day use by private vehicular traffic. Pedestrians are not required to travel via the new tunnel, and can continue to cross the runway.

References

  1. ^ "Airport Tunnel to open on 31st March 2023 - 177/2023". Government of Gibraltar. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023. Prior to the tunnel opening, Winston Churchill Avenue is the only road linking Gibraltar to neighbouring Spain. The Gibraltar Airport runway was built across it in 1941, and incorporated vehicular and pedestrian routes to and from the frontier. In recent years, the road was closed more than 15 times a day to allow flights to take-off and land.
  2. ^ "Terminal is just the beginning". The Gibraltar Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008.
  3. ^ "Airport Tunnel to open on 31st March 2023 - 177/2023". Government of Gibraltar. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023. The original contract was signed in November 2008 by the then Chief Minister Sir Peter Caruana.
  4. ^ a b c d Astengo, Ros; Joseph, Lathey (30 March 2023). "Airport Tunnel timeline - From 2008 to 2023". Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Government wins Airport Access Tunnel claim against OHL". Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Agreement between OHL and Gibraltar to conclude the tunnel under Rock's airport". The Diplomat. 21 June 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  7. ^ Garcia, Joe (15 September 2021). "£44 MILLION AIRPORT TUNNEL DELAYED DUE TO 'SUB-STANDARD WORK' - SAYS GOVT". Gibraltar Panorama. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Airport tunnel 'likely' to be handed to Government in early September, meaning it could be open to public end of the year or start of 2023". Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  9. ^ "Emergency services test response to tunnel incident ahead of Friday opening". Gibraltar Chronicle. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  10. ^ Culatto, John (1 April 2023). "WATCH: Traffic starts to flow through Gibraltar's new runway tunnel route to the frontier, named Kingsway". Olive Press News Spain. Retrieved 24 April 2023. The final cost of the tunnel was £34 million, but if it would be built it today it would cost £120 million, the Chief Minister said.
  11. ^ "Kingsway is now open & operational". Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  12. ^ "KINGSWAY INAUGURATED - 187/2023". Government of Gibraltar. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Kingsway is now open & operational". Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  14. ^ Peralta, Gabriella (30 March 2023). "Over 14 years later, Kingsway Tunnel opens". Gibraltar Chronicle. Retrieved 24 April 2023. that the airport and tunnel access roads [and the tunnel]...will be known as Kingsway...and that has been approved by His Majesty himself today
  15. ^ a b "Airport Tunnel to open on 31st March 2023 - 177/2023". Government of Gibraltar. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023. The road from the new roundabout at Devil's Tower Road to the East Gate roundabout is approximately 1.2km in length, including approximately 350 metres of covered tunnel.
  16. ^ "New Air Terminal, tunnel under the runway and new road leading to all parts of Gibraltar north of the runway - New Road/Tunnel". GibraltarAirTerminal.com. Government of Gibraltar. Archived from the original on 24 November 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2016. and images of the proposals:"New Air Terminal, tunnel under the runway and new road leading to all parts of Gibraltar north of the runway - The New Air Terminal" (Press release). Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
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