"FAA approves Augusta airport's master plan"

Friday, September 27, 2002

FAA approves airport's plan 
Environmental studies are next step 
By Vicky Eckenrode 
The Augusta (GA) Chronicle

 
The Augusta Regional Airport finally got its green light to begin
rebuilding.

After more than a year and a half of waiting for an official response on
its master plan, the airport received a letter Wednesday from the
Federal Aviation Administration giving it conditional approval on the
proposed airport layout.

That includes a new midfield terminal, airplane parking areas and a
taxiway to be built in the next five years at an estimated cost of $64.4
million.

"Today, the Augusta Regional Airport commission and staff have jumped
the largest hurdle yet," airport Director Ken Kraemer told the aviation
board Thursday. "Today, we realize the successful conclusion of two
years worth of work."

Environmental studies will have to be done on those projects before
construction can begin.
 
Although the FAA had asked the airport's consultants to study various
sites for a midfield terminal, the letter states that the airport can
abandon the existing crosswind runway and build the terminal there.

Until that happens, the FAA also wants the airport to make the
secondary, crosswind runway shorter because it does not meet current
design standards.

To make the runway's safety areas and object-free areas larger, the
airport will have to reduce the actual runway from 6,000 feet to 4,450
feet.

With everything else, the FAA states that the airport's plan complied
with design regulations.

"It also means that we find the proposed airport development shown on
the plan useful and efficient," the letter states.

Originally, the airport proposed building the parallel runway at the
same time as the new terminal, upping the price tag to $92.6 million.

Now it appears that Augusta Regional will become a one-runway airport
until a parallel runway is needed.

Plans to build a parallel runway will be put on hold indefinitely until
traffic increases enough for the FAA to support the construction.

The letter states that the FAA does not support the master plan's
passenger forecasts beyond the year 2005. The master plan projected
annual passenger levels increasing to 512,000 in 2010 and 730,000 in
2020.

Instead, the FAA will be using its much more conservative terminal area
forecasts, which project 280,000 passengers a year in 2010 and 336,000
in 2020. The passenger level for last year was 167,000.

Airport officials said they will start immediately on an environmental
overview for the new terminal.

If that is approved without the need for more environmental studies and
if construction moves along without any hitches, members of the aviation
board said they expect a new terminal to be open by January 2005.

Attached Graphic:

Augusta Master Plan

augusta_master_plan.jpg