Hazardous driving/flying

[gpraceman]

This just really struck me as rather absurd. It is Gibraltar Airport, with a highway running right across the runway!



More photos

[Stan Pope]

While on the face of it, the "shared use" seems insane ... autos and planes do not play well together. However, with out shared use, the possibility of an airport in Gibraltar would be tenuous. I'm almost surprised that they were able to find/make enough flat ground to build an airport.

How long a runway does a typical large passenger jet require? Although they are measured in feet, miles is a more convenient measure!

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibraltar#Geography:

"Gibraltar covers 2-2/3 sq mi.

"Gibraltar is one of the most densely populated territories in the world, with approximately 4,290 inhabitants per square kilometre (11,100 /sq mi). The growing demand for space is being increasingly met by land reclamation; reclaimed land currently comprises approximately one tenth of the territory's total area."

[gpraceman]

"Gibraltar covers 2-2/3 sq mi.

"Gibraltar is one of the most densely populated territories in the world, with approximately 4,290 inhabitants per square kilometre (11,100 /sq mi). The growing demand for space is being increasingly met by land reclamation; reclaimed land currently comprises approximately one tenth of the territory's total area."

I'm rather surprised that they just didn't build a tunnel under the runway. Would make more sense.

[Stan Pope]

"Gibraltar covers 2-2/3 sq mi.

"Gibraltar is one of the most densely populated territories in the world, with approximately 4,290 inhabitants per square kilometre (11,100 /sq mi). The growing demand for space is being increasingly met by land reclamation; reclaimed land currently comprises approximately one tenth of the territory's total area."

I'm rather surprised that they just didn't build a tunnel under the runway. Would make more sense.

That was in the plans with 2009 completion scheduled. The pic shows no such signs, however. If they are going to meet that schedule, I think we would see more info on progress!

Wonder how many days that runway would be out of service while the underpass was being constructed ...

I did not run across a map of the airport layout, but I suspect that it doesn't have redundancy for that runway. Even our small Greater Peoria airport occupies an area comparable to the whole of Gibraltar! But then, demand for space is probably a lot lower here than in Gibraltar! New runway??? No problem ... just sac a few more soy bean fields!

The Gibraltar airport, on the other hand, is reported to be within walking distance of downtown! Which means, I think, that it is an already very densely populated part of the country.