Project team overcomes challenges of resurfacing Antarctic runway

New Civil Engineer
Sotiris Kanaris
24 May 2024

Resurfacing a runway in Antarctica required extensive planning to overcome the challenges presented by its extremely remote location.

The British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS’) Rothera Research Station is on the mountainous and heavily glaciated Adelaide Island to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula - 1,860km south of the Falkland Islands and 1,630km south east of Punta Arenas, Chile.

With some of the buildings and infrastructure requiring replacement or an upgrade, the BAS launched the £670M Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme (AIMP) in 2017.

The AIMP was commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council and is being delivered by BAS and its framework partners Bam Nuttall, Ramboll and Sweco.

In 2021, the £290M second phase of the programme began. BAS programme director for AIMP Elen Jones says this involves work at the Rothera Research Station to resurface the runway and apron and refurbish the aircraft hangar...

[Read more: Project team overcomes challenges of resurfacing Antarctic runway | New Civil Engineer]