Aeroporto da Madeira

Funchal Airport Runway Extension

This series documents the Funchal Airport Runway Extension on Madeira Island, Portugal. The original runway length of Madeira Airport posed limitations to the island's development, as only small to medium-sized planes could land. To overcome this challenge, the solution adopted was to slightly reorient the existing runway and construct a bridge that spans a shallow water bay, elevated 57 meters above sea level. The bridge, measuring 1020 meters in length and 180 meters in width, was designed to withstand the landing impact of a Boeing 747 aircraft. The structural solution utilized reinforced concrete, employing large portal frames with circular columns and prestressed beams to support a bi-directionally prestressed deck slab. Direct foundations, including large concrete footings, were used wherever possible, while indirect foundations with concrete piles reaching depths of up to 60 meters were employed in areas with inadequate rock formations at the surface.