"Commission Members Express Doubts about Runway Plan at Augusta, Ga., Airport"

Thursday, October 4, 2002

Commission Members Express Doubts about Runway Plan at Augusta, Ga.,
Airport
The Augusta Chronicle, Ga.


At least two members of the Augusta Aviation Commission have
reservations about plans to reduce Bush Field from two runways to one. 

Under the current master plan, within the next five years Augusta
Regional Airport would give up one of its runways, with no timetable for
adding another one. A new terminal would be built over what once was the
crosswind runway, which intersects the primary landing strip. 

The airport's long-term plan calls for revamping the current main
runway, eventually lengthening it to 10,000 feet; building a parallel
runway that would eventually stretch 9,000 feet; and doing away with the
shorter, crosswind runway that serves corporate jets and small planes. 

Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration approved the plan but
said federal funding would not be available to build the parallel runway
until air traffic picks up substantially. The current level of takeoffs
and landings would need to almost triple, according to an FAA spokesman.


Board member Bernie Silverstein said that, as far as he is concerned,
the issue of the terminal location is still open. Although he
acknowledges that the crosswind runway gets little use, it could still
be handy in the event of an emergency on the main runway. 

"I feel like it's like life insurance. If we can keep it, we should keep
it," he said. 

Whitney O'Keeffe, another board member, said a new terminal could be
built in the same location as the current one, along the main runway. He
said the board is about to make a big mistake in destroying the
crosswind runway -- which he described as being a public asset. 

Mr. O'Keeffe said he doubts that discount airlines, which the board
hopes to woo, will land in Augusta when they can operate out of other
airports in the region surrounded by larger population bases, such as
Greenville Spartanburg International in South Carolina. 

"It's just a grandiose plan that this crowd is committed to," Mr.
O'Keeffe said. "They're living a pipe dream, in my humble opinion."

The commission has rolled the dice in hopes that a new terminal could
produce enough airline service to justify FAA funding for a parallel
runway. Without the cost of building the parallel runway, construction
plans during the next five years have an estimated cost of $64.4
million. 

Single-runway airports typically need about 120,000 landings and
takeoffs each year -- 60 percent of normal airport capacity -- before
the FAA will consider funds for studies and design plans for a second
runway, FAA spokesman Christopher White said. Traffic would likely need
to continue increasing for the FAA to fund actual construction, he said.


Bush Field had 46,404 takeoffs and landings in 2001 and 47,569 in 2000.
So far this year, it has had 30,099, according to marketing director
Kathryn Solee. An estimated 5 percent of those are on the crosswind
runway. 

Other commissioners on the 12-member board say eliminating the crosswind
runway makes better sense for the long-term future of Augusta Regional.
Ernie Smith says the prospect of gaining a parallel runway that would
accommodate the growth they project is worth the gamble. 

"We're trying to put Augusta in a position to spur economic
development,"Mr. Smith said. "Opportunities are what generates traffic.
We're trying to put in place a culture to make those opportunities
materialize."

The FAA said last week that the crosswind runway does not meet its
design standards and must be reduced from 6,000 to 4,450 feet to allow
for safety areas. That does not mean the runway must be torn up, but
rather that the usable runway space must be reduced. 

The runway is cracked and weed-speckled, and board member Brad Kyzer
said it has become too costly to maintain. Even the larger corporate
jets won't use it once the runway length is reduced, he said. 

"The bottom line here is that runway is a very expensive luxury that's
not being used very much," Mr. Kyzer said. 

Chris Cunningham, who has been on the commission for three months, says
the board is constantly evaluating the decisions it makes and
reconsidering its options. He said he wants to hear what other
commissioners have to say before giving his opinion. 

"Revisiting the plan is a consideration," Mr. Cunningham said. "Whether
the (FAA's decision) will be a deal-killer, I don't know."


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?conf=DCConfID8

*****************************************