Flexible Design of Airport System Using Real Options Analysis - MIT

12/14/2007
1.231 Planning and Design of Airport System Dai Ohama
The new runway will be constructed on the artificial island approximately 3,000 meters
long and 500 meters wide, on the south side of the airport. As the new runway island is
planned in the estuarine waters of the Tama River, the course of the river shall not be
affected by reclaimed island. Therefore, pile elevated platform is applied for the part in the
river mouth, and reclamation is applied for the part outside the alignments of the river mouth.
Two taxiway bridges for aircraft connecting the existing airport to the new runway island,
600 meters long and 60 meters wide, are planned as well. Pile elevated platform of the new
runway island is 1,100 meters long and 500 meters wide in total. It is a jacket structure
composed of approx. 200 steel jacket units 60 meters long and 45 meters wide. The water
depth at the construction site is 15 to 19 meters, and the river has 30 to 40 meters thick
sedimentary layers of soft clayey soil. Thus, long steel pipe piles are used as bearing piles
for the pile elevated platform.
Figure 2-4 Structure of Runway D
Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Japan, Kanto Regional Development Bureau [2]
By the end of the fiscal year of 2006, the design has been completed, the construction
started in March 2007, and it is supposed to be in service in December 2010.
2.3 Current Design is Optimal?
As discussed above, the new runway is expected not only to improve the airport
capacity but also to bring about a major impact on the overall economy. However, is this
Term Project: Flexible Design of Airport System Page 3 of 22