The Wilmington International Airport recently received more than $6 million from the Federal Aviation Administration for infrastructure improvements – a sign business leaders feel sends a “very good message” to businesses located locally and across the country.
“Meaningful improvements to the airport go a long way in continuing to show that our airport is doing well and is capable of improving business in our community,” said Wilmington Business Development CEO Scott Satterfield. “It could play well in our conversations with companies and could make a difference in their decision.”
The airport typically gets about $3 million from FAA in grant money based on passenger numbers, but this year the airport received an additional $3.5 million in discretionary grants to complete a runway project that has been in the works for several years.
The airport completed a 750-foot extension on the north end of the airport's north-south runway – which runs from Smith Creek to near the intersection of Blue Clay Road and North Kerr Avenue – back in August. But this extended area is not yet available to planes.
Julie Wilsey, the airport's deputy director, said the airport now has to purchase land near the end of the runway and remove some trees to clear the end of the runway for landing. It also plans to repave the entire runway, add additional navigational aids and mark the new runway threshold. Runway thresholds are markings across the runway that denote the beginning and end of the designated space for takeoffs and landings.
“We have a hard time doing anything simple. There are so many moving parts, so much funding needed,” Wilsey said. “We had to separate it out.”
Completing the runway and adding additional navigational aids has been on the airport's list of capital improvements for five years, according to Wilsey. Runways also have to be fully repaved every 20 years, so Wilsey said the timing was perfect to request funding from the FAA to finish the project.
Final work on the north-south runway project will not start until April, she added. The airport does not have an estimate on how long the work will take because much of it is weather dependent. The current runway, without the added length, will continue to operate until work begins.
Local contracting company S.T. Wooten Corp. will handle the work. Wooten was also the contractor on the original runway extension work.
Satterfield applauded the airport's use of a local contracting company.
“It's fantastic they would use this improvement to help boost the local economy,” he said.
Original article: http://www.starnewsonline.com
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