Airport News Japan

Construction Continues 24-Hours on New Haneda Runway in Winter even during New Year

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Bird-eye view of D-runway of Haneda Airport under construction. Photo=

The 24-hour construction on Haneda Airport’s fourth runway, 2,500-meter Runway D, has been pushing ahead nonstop even during the New Year’s holidays.

The new runway, which began construction in March last year, is the heart of the airport’s expansion project, and is slated to be ready for use in fall 2010. It will be located on the sea about 620 meters off the airport island, and will make use of a hybrid structure resembling a combination between a wharf and land reclamation. Special transport and construction boats are progressing with construction day and night, and the large-scale project is visible from aircraft landing and taking off from Haneda.

As of December 22, approximately 45% of the so-called bridge foundation “jackets” on the wharf were mounted. Five more jackets are mounted during the New Year’s holidays (from December 25 to January 7), and then construction will focus on the reclamation that will not rely on outside materials. According to Kanto Regional Development Bureau in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, “Construction is well under way, with work scheduled for the New Year’s holidays. Although the forecast is for severe weather conditions, we are making safety a top priority.”

The Runway D Observation Deck for viewing the construction work up close is closed from December 27 to January 7.

Kanto Regional Development Bureau in MLIT (Japanese)