One year of construction work at BBI

East Germany’s largest infrastructure project displays successful development

Construction work on Berlin’s new BBI Airport is coming along well. Ingeborg Junge-Reyer, Senator for Urban Development in Berlin, Reinhold Dellmann, Minister for Infrastructure and Development in Brandenburg, and Dr. Rainer Schwarz, CEO of Berlin Airports were on site today to reassure themselves of the progress in airport construction.

Senator Ingeborg Junge-Reyer: “Expansion of BBI is the most important infrastructure project for the Berlin-Brandenburg region. BBI and its environs will be the gate to the city and region around the capital as of 2011. Even at this stage, we can see a new development axis evolving between Berlin’s city centre and the future airport. This south-eastern area is a strategic location for Berlin urban development. Expansion of the airport, new construction of the motorway and the future Dresden rail link give rise to traffic projects providing an economic injection into the entire region. In terms of planning, Berlin, Brandenburg and the communes and districts neighbouring Schoenefeld collaborate closely with both investors and local residents of the new airport benefiting from this co-ordinated planning.”

Infrastructure Minister Reinhold Dellmann: “It is obvious that things are progressing. With the BBI as a job engine, the Berlin Brandenburg region will take an economic leap forward. And road links to the new airport are also coming along well. All of the projects are within their designated timeframes. The new A113 will be finished as planned in spring 2008. The national roads around the airport and the new road link from Potsdam via the L 40 will be finished in time for the official opening of the BBI. And as far as the rail links are concerned, I assume that DB AG is doing everything it can to maintain its timeframe.”

Airport boss Dr. Rainer Schwarz: “The BBI is a decisive prerequisite for competitiveness of the Berlin-Brandenburg region. Even at this stage, the region is already benefiting from the dynamism triggered by the first cut with the spade on the BBI construction site in September 2006. To date, contracts to the sum of 395 million euros have been awarded, of which 285 million euros have already been invested in the local economy. The first year of construction work has progressed well. The largest project is currently represented by construction of the underground railway station which also forms the foundations for the terminal.”

This year will also see commencement of additional construction work. The next project involves awarding the contract for buildings on the airfield, the southern runway as well as the apron. This will be followed by major excavation work as well as the underground tank system while work continues on the roads: construction will commence this year on the western bypass of the BBI, the area in front of the terminal, the road junctions and the link to the B96a. Rail connections are to be pushed further upon commencement of construction of the western tunnel sections.

BBI construction work performed to date:

Work commenced on the underground BBI railway station in July 2007. 405 metres long and approx. 60 metres wide, part of the station is directly under the airport terminal and also forms the foundations for the passenger terminal yet to be built. The BBI railway station is supported by 236 concrete columns firmly anchored in the ground to a depth of 20 metres. Completion of the foundations will be followed by the actual concrete work for the station shell. The first 185-metre section will be finished in mid-2008, simultaneously paving the way for construction of the terminal building to be built from mid-2008 on. Completion of the railway station shell is planned for early 2009.

The old southern runway will be the new BBI northern runway. Four new access taxiways and four quick-exit taxiways are currently under construction with work to be completed by the end of 2007. This will be followed by reconstruction of the northern runway which represents an essential prerequisite for closing the gap between the A111 and the new A113 motorways.

In order to free up the working field for construction, around 26 kilometres of drinking and waste water pressure pipes were relayed in co-operation with the Märkischer Abwasser- und Wasserzweckverband and other regional companies. These supply Schoenefeld Airport, the district of Schoenefeld and other districts lying to the west. This work was completed in July 2007. Furthermore, the DN600 line near the BBI northern runway now supplies the BBI with drinking water.

Energy for Schoenefeld Airport has come from the newly-built Schoenefeld-South substation outside the airport site since June 2007. During the course of land clearing for the BBI, the replacement and reconstruction of 110,000-Volt high-voltage lines, a 110,000-Volt substation and numerous medium-voltage, low-voltage and communication plants have been necessary.

The BBI Infotower is right in the middle of the construction site. The tower is 32 metres high affording an outstanding view over the site. The tower and an information centre are to open this year.

The first section of the western rail link for the BBI railway station was completed on time by 30 April 2007. This section is a reinforced concrete tunnel 90 metres long and 23.80 metres wide whose floor is 10.5 metres deep.

Europe’s most modern concrete plant went into operation in October 2006. It avails of its own rail link and is right in the middle of the BBI construction site. By the time the BBI opens, 3.4 million tonnes of concrete will have been produced here. In order to speed up production, the concrete plant was extended yet again in summer 2007. Relocating deliveries of raw materials from the road to rail translates into relief for both local residents and the environment

For drainage of the future Capital Airport BBI, the Rotberg rainwater storage reservoir and the Selchower flood ditch were expanded from June to November 2006. The Rotberger reservoir lies south-east of the future BBI site and has been expanded towards the north-west. The more extensive Rotberger reservoir now has a maximum rainwater storage volume of around 77,500 m³.