Geoquest Solution for T5 Heathrow Airport Perimeter Road Tunnel
As part of the construction of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, a new perimeter vehicle access route needed to be built, along with a connection to the main entry point off the M25. The solution involved lowering the perimeter road below the access road and forming a roundabout above, creating a smooth traffic flow around the terminal.
The most efficient and aesthetically pleasing way to achieve this design was to install a cut and cover tunnel, using a Geoquest precast arch system. This system featured a standard twin section that met at the crown, providing the necessary support and stability for the structure.
The challenge of this project lay in the relatively low height of the arch, which was only 7.4 meters, compared to its span of 17.4 meters. To overcome this, Geoquest designed the arch using only 350mm thick precast arch segments, extending across the full 130-meter length of the tunnel. The portals to the tunnel were constructed with oblique ends to accommodate the steeply sloping sides of the surrounding landscape.
This innovative solution not only met the spatial and structural requirements of the project but also provided an efficient and cost-effective way to integrate the new tunnel into the airport’s perimeter road network.
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