Making way for more departures

In anticipation of thousands more passengers and a third runway on the horizon, Melbourne Airport is extending its taxiways.

Melbourne is a great city! As millions more visitors and business people are expected each year, Melbourne Airport is making big changes to keep up.

Extending Taxiway Victor South was one of several expansion projects to increase capacity. As an additional 45,000m² of taxiway to the south of the main terminal, it provides a critical link to a proposed third runway and an alternative to Taxiway Alpha. Allowing more aircraft to be on the move at the same time means they spend less time on the runway, and passengers arrive at the terminal sooner.

The project also involved an extension to Taxiway Yankee, and preparations for a new Rapid Exit Taxiway (RET) designated hotel, which will ultimately connect from the main runway, plus a new Airfield Lighting and Electrical Room.

The project was packed with challenges: three concurrent work streams, hazardous materials, high voltage electrical networks, contaminated soil, tight budgets and many stakeholders.

Clever staging of works and tight-knit collaboration between designers, contractor, Melbourne Airport and ourselves as project managers was the secret to overcoming the biggest challenge of all – keeping the runway and taxi-ways operational throughout construction.

After two years and 140,761 hours without a single lost time injury (at July 2016), the final touches to the project were completed and Taxiway Victor South was open for aircraft.