Funchal Airport Extension, Madeira Island, Portugal

The old runway of Madeira Airport, short by current standards, was extended by a bridge more than 1000 m long, 178 m wide and 57 m above a shallow-water bay; a bridge that was required to carry one unusual imposed load- a BOEING 747-400. The structural solution is presented in this paper, consisting of 31 portal frames supporting the runway at spans of 32 m. The portal beams, 189 m long, support a 178 m wide prestressed concrete deck slab. The long length of the structure and the high prestress in the deck slab, contributed to the structure being very sensitive to long term effects such as creep and shrinkage which is discussed in this paper.