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Aircraft bridges, including taxiway bridges and runway bridges, bring aircraft traffic over motorways, railways, and waterways.


Construction

Aircraft bridges must be designed to support the heaviest aircraft that may cross them, or that will cross them in the future. In 1963, a taxiway bridge at
Chicago O'Hare Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop busine ...
, one of the busiest airports in the world, was planned to handle future aircraft weighing , but aircraft weights doubled within two years of its construction. Currently, the largest passenger aircraft in the world, the
Airbus A380 The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...
, has a
maximum take-off weight The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) or maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) or maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) of an aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot is allowed to attempt to takeoff, take off, due to structural or other limits. The a ...
(MTOW) of . The largest
Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
planes, i.e. the current "Project Ozark" versions of the
Boeing 747-8 The Boeing 747-8 is a wide-body airliner formerly developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and the largest variant of the 747. After introducing the 747-400, Boeing considered larger 747 versions as alternatives to the proposed double-deck Ai ...
, are approaching MTOW of greater than . Aircraft bridges must be designed for the substantial forces exerted by aircraft braking, affecting the lateral load in substructure design. Braking force of 70 percent of the live load is assumed in two recent taxiway bridge designs. And "deck design is more apt to be controlled by punching shear than flexure due to the heavy wheel loads." Taxiway bridges are unusually wide relative to their length, and aircraft loading cannot be assumed to be distributed evenly to a bridge superstructure's web, so different modeling is required in these bridges' structural design. (with 4 pages of additional photos published in the web version) In cold climates, provisions for
anti-icing Deicing is the process of removing snow, ice or frost from a surface. Anti-icing is the application of chemicals that not only deice but also remain on a surface and continue to delay the reformation of ice for a certain period of time, or preve ...
must be made. In the U.S., regulations of the
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
must be met. And there are various other differences versus typical bridges covered by AASHTO standards. A major issue is that closing an airport for construction even temporarily is impossible. Major alternatives considered for construction of a taxiway bridge in 2008 were: *use of precast, prestressed concrete I-girders *use of precast, prestressed concrete box girders *use of steel girders *cast-in-place, post-tensioned concrete
box girder bridge A box girder bridge, or box section bridge, is a bridge in which the main beams comprise girders in the shape of a hollow box. The box girder normally comprises prestressed concrete, structural steel, or a composite of steel and reinf ...
.
Finite Element Analysis The finite element method (FEM) is a popular method for numerically solving differential equations arising in engineering and mathematical modeling. Typical problem areas of interest include the traditional fields of structural analysis, heat ...
has been advocated for, or applied in, taxiway bridge design since at least 1963.


List of taxiway bridges, runway bridges, and related tunnels

Taxiway bridges and runway bridges are bridges at airports to bring airplane taxiways and runways across motorways, railroads, or waterways. A taxiway bridge must be designed to carry the weight of the maximum size airplanes crossing and perhaps stopping directly upon it. A runway bridge is similar but may have different stresses. Alternatively, a motorway may be brought by tunnel underneath one or more runways and taxiways. Examples include: *At
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport ( nl, Luchthaven Schiphol, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer in the province ...
, the Schiphol tunnel takes the A4 motorway underneath an airplane runway and two taxiways, and in 2003 a sixth runway was added at quite some distance west of the rest of airport, with use of two connecting taxiway bridges crossing the A5 motorway and the , respectively. *At
Manchester Airport Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those n ...
in the United Kingdom, the
A538 road The A538 is a road in England linking Macclesfield, Cheshire to Altrincham in Greater Manchester, through Prestbury, Wilmslow and Hale and providing access to Manchester Airport and the M56 motorway. The road is a Primary route between the A ...
runs in a pair of twin-bore tunnels underneath the southern ends of both runways. *At
Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
, a tunnel was completed in 1953 allowing Sepulveda Boulevard to revert to straight and pass beneath the two runways; it was the first tunnel of its kind. *At
Indianapolis International Airport Indianapolis International Airport is an international airport located seven miles (11 km) southwest of downtown Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority. The ...
, a taxiway bridge was planned to connect a future fourth runway across the
Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 in ...
. During 2002-04, the
Indiana Department of Transportation The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Indiana charged with maintaining and regulating transportation and transportation related infrastructure such as state owned airports, List of numbered ...
realigned the I-70 to accommodate this. *The third runway of the
Stockholm Arlanda Airport Stockholm Arlanda Airport is an international airport located in the Sigtuna Municipality of Sweden, near the town of Märsta, north of Stockholm and nearly south-east of Uppsala. The airport is located within Stockholm County and the prov ...
is reached from the main terminal area by taxiway bridges constructed to be able to handle the heaviest and largest airplanes in traffic. *The
Orlando International Airport Orlando International Airport is a major public airport located 6 miles (10 km) southeast of Downtown Orlando, Florida. In 2021, it handled 19,618,838 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the state and seventh busiest airport i ...
authority, planning for a future high-speed rail line, invested in extra length for its taxiway bridges over its southern airport access road. *The
Singapore Changi Airport Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport , is a major civilian international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passe ...
has two taxiway bridges spanning Airport Boulevard. These bridges required shields installed on either side to shield the road from the jet blast. Planning for it since the 1990s, the airport spent S$60 million in total in modifications to support the
Airbus A380 The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...
. *The
Soekarno–Hatta International Airport Soekarno–Hatta International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional Soekarno–Hatta) , abbreviated SHIA or Soetta, formerly legally called Jakarta Cengkareng Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Jakarta Cengkareng) (hence the IATA designator "CGK" ...
has two taxiway bridges located in the southwest corner of the airport connecting the north and the south runway, a third taxiway bridge located in the north east corner is under construction and is scheduled to finish in 2018 *the
Copenhagen Airport Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup ( da, Københavns Lufthavn, Kastrup, ; ) is an international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark, Zealand, the Øresund Region, and southern Sweden including Scania. It is the second largest airport in the Nordic coun ...
has one runway and one taxiway running over the Denmark 221 road. *In Norway,
Sandane Sandane is the administrative centre of the municipality of Gloppen in Vestland county, Norway. It is located at the end of the Gloppefjorden, along the European route E39 highway. Sandane is south of the village of Nordfjordeid and about we ...
,
Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
and
Tromsø Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies ...
airports have such bridges. *$35-million Taxiway Sierra Underpass reconstruction at
Sky Harbor International Airport Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a civil–military public airport east of downtown Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is Arizona's largest and busiest airport, and among the largest commercial airports in th ...
in Phoenix, Arizona included a $13 million five-span, cast-in-place, post-tensioned concrete box girder bridge. The airport also has the Taxiway Tango Underpass. *$10.5 million Port Columbus Airport Crossover Taxiway, at
John Glenn Columbus International Airport John Glenn Columbus International Airport is an international airport located east of downtown Columbus, Ohio. Formerly known as Port Columbus International Airport, it is managed by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which also ove ...
, Columbus, Ohio *Taxiway B Bridge,
Tampa International Airport Tampa International Airport is an international airport west of Downtown Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA)., effective December 30, 2021. T ...
*Taxiway bridge over
Interstate 73 Interstate 73 (I-73) is a north–south Interstate Highway, located within the US state of North Carolina. Currently, there is one continuous section of I-73, totaling , first traversing the U.S. Route 220 (US 220) freeway from ...
,
Piedmont Triad International Airport Piedmont Triad International Airport (commonly referred to locally as "PTI") is an airport located in unincorporated Guilford County, North Carolina, west of Greensboro, serving the Piedmont Triad region of Greensboro, High Point and Winsto ...
, Greensboro, North Carolina *Five taxiway bridges, Beijing Capital Airport *1967-built steel girder taxiway bridge,
Chicago O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop business ...
In 1963, the weight thought to be necessary was for the 1967 built bridge. In 1969, aircraft weights had doubled. It was a 4-span welded steel girder bridge with a concrete deck, long, wide, bridge. (book title is ''Full-Scale Load Testing of Structures'') Maximum stress for the bridge was found to occur when an aircraft was 6 feet off the centerline. * Interstate 285 runs under a runway and taxiway of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (and se

) *Tunnel Road East, the main entranceway to
Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...
, runs under a runway and two taxiwaysGoogle Maps, accessed July 2016 *S. 188th Street runs under a runway and a taxiway of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport *Kai Tak Taxiway Bridge No. 3, a fast-track design-and-build contract awarded in 1993, at Hong Kong's
Kai Tak Airport Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. Officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, it is often referred to as Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, or simply Ka ...
, which closed in 1998. It is now repurposed as a road connecting
Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Kai Tak Cruise Terminal is a cruise ship terminal on the former Kai Tak Airport runway in Hong Kong. Its completion date was delayed into 2013 due to re-tendering. Following an international competition, Foster + Partners was chosen to ...
and Shing Fung Road and Shing Cheung Road, which is now named * Northwestern end of first generation of 13/31 runway at Kai Tak Airport across
Choi Hung Road Choi Hung Road () is a road located in the Wong Tai Sin District, Kowloon of Hong Kong. It was first opened to the public in the 1920s as a part of Clear Water Bay Road, yet it was split from the road and named after the Choi Hung Estate in 196 ...
(then part of Clear Water Bay Road) and
Kai Tak Nullah The Kai Tak Nullah (, also known as the Kaitak River () is a ''nullah'' or watercourse that collects water from the rivers and streams flowing from the hills in northern New Kowloon. It empties into a narrow channel leading into the Kwun Tong Ty ...
* Several bridges across Kai Tak Nullah to the northeast apron *
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
has US Route 1 and an active railroad running under a runway and taxiway. * Düsseldorf International Airport has the approach end of runway 23L and the last taxiway out of the same runway 05R above a railway line. The
Düsseldorf Airport Station Düsseldorf Airport (''Bahnhof Düsseldorf Flughafen'') is a railway station in Düsseldorf, Germany on the Cologne–Duisburg line that connects Düsseldorf Airport to Düsseldorf-Stadtmitte and long-distance trains, most of them ICE train ...
offers a very good view of passing aircraft. *
Hua Hin Airport Hua Hin Airport ( th, ท่าอากาศยานหัวหิน) is an international airport serving Hua Hin District in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand. Airport upgrade In August 2018 the Department of Airports announced tha ...
's runway crossed over
Phet Kasem Road Phet Kasem Road (, , )ราชบัณฑิตยสถาน. ''อ่านอย่างไร และ เขียนอย่างไร ฉบับราชบัณฑิตยสถาน.'' พิมพ์ครั้งที่ ...
(Thailand Route 4) and
Southern Railway Line The Southern railway line serves the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The long line branches from the Western line at Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, and proceeds south through Warwick and Stanthorpe to the New South Wales/Quee ...
*Part of the taxi way and one runway of
Allegheny County Airport Allegheny County Airport is in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Pittsburgh. It is the fifth-busiest airport in Pennsylvania following Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Harrisburg. The airport is owned by t ...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is built on a bridge over
Pennsylvania Route 885 Pennsylvania Route 885 (PA 885) is a long north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It runs from Pennsylvania Route 837 in Clairton north to Interstate 579 in Pittsburgh. The route is entirely within Allegheny County and se ...
and two sets of tracks of the
Union Railroad (Pittsburgh) The Union Railroad is a Class III switching railroad located in Allegheny County in Western Pennsylvania. The company is owned by Transtar, Inc., which is itself a subsidiary of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors, after bein ...
. *
Oakland International Airport Oakland International Airport is an international airport in Oakland, California, United States, 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown located in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned by the Port of Oakland and has domestic passenger f ...
has an underpass for Ron Cowan Parkway below a taxiway connecting the commercial runways to the general aviation North Field. * Taxiways at Macau International Airport off
Taipa Taipa ( zh, t=氹仔, ; pt, Taipa, ) was a former island in Macau, presently united with the island of Coloane by reclaimed land known as Cotai. Administratively, the boundaries of the traditional civil parish Freguesia de Nossa Senhora do Ca ...
*
Kai Tak Tunnel Kai Tak Tunnel, formerly known as the Airport Tunnel, is a tunnel in New Kowloon, Hong Kong, which connects the Kowloon Bay and Ma Tau Kok areas by going beneath the former Hong Kong International Airport (Kai Tak Airport). It is part of Ro ...
in New Kowloon * Fu Hsing North Road zh-tw.html" ;"title=":zh-tw:復興北路車行地下道">zh-tw">:zh-tw:復興北路車行地下道">zh-tw/small> in Taipei *
Chung Cheung Road Chung may refer to: Surnames * Chung (surname) * Jeong (surname), Korean surname * Zhong (surname), or Chung, Chinese surname * Cheung, or Chung, Cantonese surname Geography * Chung, Iran, a village in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Iran * C ...
and South Runway Road in
Chek Lap Kok Chek Lap Kok is an island in the western waters of Hong Kong's New Territories. Unlike the smaller Lam Chau, it was only partially leveled when it was assimilated via land reclamation into the island for the current Hong Kong International ...
* Eastern Vehicular Tunnel in Chek Lap Kokhttps://env.threerunwaysystem.com/ep%20submissions/202005%20Management%20Organizations/Submission%20of%20Management%20Organisations%20Version%208.htm Numerous taxiway bridges have been proposed but not built.


References


External links


Port Columbus International Airport Cross-Over Taxiway Bridge Project
{{coord, 40.0002, N, 82.9052, W, source:wikidata, display=title Bridges by mode of traffic Airport engineering