Airport frontage to be transformed
A major project to be carried out jointly by Geneva International Airport (GVA) and the cantonal authorities over the next four and a half years will renovate and strengthen the overpass and the parking areas in front of the airport.
The first phase of the project, scheduled to begin around June 2010 and to last for two years, will serve to renovate the overpass that runs in front of the airport. The second phase of the works, programmed for completion in two and half years, will overhaul and strengthen the various platforms which support the car parks and permit access to the airport.
When the project is completed at the end of 2014, the renovation of these structures will have completely transformed the airport frontage on the Geneva side.
In order to minimise traffic disruption and inconvenience to passengers, visitors and users of other infrastructures situated within the airport perimeter, the 17 two-phase operations planned by the owners take into account as far as possible the seasonal peaks of GVA, as well as the needs of all the surrounding structures.
Unfortunately however, despite the precautions, some disruption for passengers, visitors and traffic is inevitable from time to time, given the scale of the project, the size of the site and the diversity of its uses.
To mitigate such problems, every effort will be made to keep travellers informed of any changes that could affect them, including particularly through announcements on our website (www.gva.ch/travaux). At the same time, appropriate signs will be set up to mark temporary changes to access routes or bus stops as and when the need arises.
In parallel with its policy of modernisation and expansion to prepare for the challenges of the future, GIA also needs to ensure that existing older structures are strengthened so that they continue to meet the safety requirements and that is the purpose of these maintenance works. The State of Geneva, through the Department of Construction and Information Technologies, will take overall charge of the first phase of the renovation of the overpass, while GVA will be responsible for the works relating to the platforms carrying the parking facilities and access road, which are now essential due to the aging of the structures and increased use resulting particularly from heavier traffic. The main focus will be on reinforcement, waterproofing and improved lighting.