Tri-State Airport Construction Plans Advance
10/14/2009
Tri-State Airport Authority members approved a construction contract Tuesday for extending one runway and converting another one into a taxiway that will aid economic development efforts at the airport.
Airport Authority Director Jerry Brienza said extending the airport's main runway from 6,517 to 7,017 feet will mean larger aircraft can use the airport and existing aircraft can carry more fuel so they can travel farther, Brienza said. That opens up more possible destinations for the airport, he said.
The 500-foot extension also translates into a 1,000-foot overrun at the west end of the runway. That gives planes extra room to stop should they go long in taking off, Brienza said.
The airport's crosswind runway is being converted into a taxiway, because it is seldom used, Brienza said. That also opens the south side of the airport to development opportunities, he said. HADCO is building a hangar there to attract aviation-related business.
The runway extension will cost $4.855 million while the taxiway project will cost $880,000.
The runway extension is scheduled to begin within the next month, while the taxiway project will start in February or March. Both projects should be completed by early summer, Brienza said.
In other business Tuesday, airport administrative staff reported a 36 percent increase in boardings for the first three months of this fiscal year compared to the same time period last year. There were 27,981 boardings in July, August and September of this year, compared to 20,583 boardings during the same months in 2008.
The airport has had 79,225 boardings during the first nine months of this year compared to 63,442 during the same time period in 2008 and 46,617 in 2007. (Excerpts from The Herald-Dispatch, 10/14/09)
