A new link road has recently opened in Southend that enables the 300m extension of the runway at London Southend Airport to commence. The works are part of a major upgrade plan by owners Stobart Group to the airport which also includes a new rail station (complete), new control tower (complete), new terminal building (in progress) and a new hotel (just started).
The new link road links Eastwoodbury Lane with Nestuda Way and will allow the old section of Eastwoodbury Lane to be removed. The new road is around 1000yds in length and was constructed by Stobart Rail – the construction arm of the Stobart Group.
A news item on the opening of the new road can be found on the Southend Echo website here.
I swung by this morning to take a look at the new road and an album of photos can be found on my Picasaweb website here. A selection are also included below. Clicking on the photo opens a bigger version in a new window.
The completed works look to be of excellent quality and I was impressed with some of the minor details. I liked for instance the ‘rustic’ timber fencing using round posts and half round rails – much nice than the more usual sawn timber type.
After the visit I called in at the site offices to introduce myself and to enquire about the possibility of an site visit for members of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) to view some of the ongoing developments at the airport. Watch this space for further details.
andrew kenyon photography 