News on M23 J8-10 smart motorway

Sarah Scarborough of Atkins Global writes…..

Stakeholder management is an ever-present reality for a functional construction project, and effective stakeholder management has been demonstrated on the M23, where high profile stakeholders impose new and demanding requirements.  

Gatwick Airport (GAL) is the second largest international airport in the UK, with 35 thousand employees serving over 40 million passengers a year. M23 J8-10 section is critical for the road traffic to and from the airport, and the flightpath is situated over the busy junction 9, which is connecting M23 with the airport via Gatwick Spur.  

Gatwick is legally obliged to have an active policy of aerodrome safeguarding, which is the process used to ensure the safety of aircraft while taking off and landing, or flying in the vicinity of aerodromes. Aircraft are vulnerable to birds strike, which are the most problematic species in the UK, and as such GAL is required to reduce the attractiveness of the area to birds and wildlife - on and in the vicinity of the airport. All works within a 13km circle of the airport that have the potential to increase the bird strike risk, must be agreed with GAL. The JAJV design team liaised and worked closely with the airport team and their consultants and followed their multiple requirements to make sure the proposed infrastructure is acceptable and does not interfere (physically and electronically) with the airport systems and flightpath. The proposed vegetation planting was updated to ensure the mix is suitable to support the local wildlife and at the same time avoid attracting birds.