"Study results arrive for airport's runway safety areas"

Wednesday, April 2, 2003

Study results arrive for airport's runway safety areas
By Alyson Matley
The Florida Keys Keynoter


If Key West International Airport fills and paves 25 acres of sensitive
wetlands and mangroves, another 77 acres of restoration will have to be
implemented as mitigation.

A new study on the impact of installing controversial runway safety areas is
hot off the press and, says Airport Director Peter Horton, the mitigation
strategy is "a good average".

"Mitigation is one of the main considerations - we didn't know what the
ratio would be, but it's about three to one. In round figures, that means
that there are about 25 acres of wetland that would have to mitigated. That
would involve about 77 acres."

The Federal Aviation Administration has, says Horton, mandated that all
small airports bring their overrun areas up to federal safety standards.
Completing the study is the first leg of that process.

Although he calls the mitigation ratio fair, Horton says there are some
problems, one being the fact that there are not 77 acres available in the
Salt Ponds for traditional, in-kind mitigation. That's why the study
suggests a number of strategies with mitigation efforts extending all the
way up to Ohio Key, just west of the Seven Mile Bridge.

And there's a second problem. "It has a big price tag," said Horton. "Almost
$25 million. Since the FAA is footing the largest portion of the bill, that
could be an issue."

The FAA began this initiative in 1999. At the time, the administration was
willing to commit $10 million to updating the Key West airport.

"We did a preliminary study in 2001 that found it was not economically
feasible because of the high cost of mitigation," said Horton. At the time,
he said, local officials suggested instead the use of "engineered material
arresting systems."

These structures of specially formed concrete would be placed at the end of
the existing runways to slow airplanes in emergency situations. Not only
would they be less costly in terms of money, but also in terms of the loss
of the island's precious wetlands.

Horton says there is a chance the safety issue will eventually be tackled
with these systems. However, he said, they must first explore all options.

"You have to explore doing it to their standards," he said. "They can't just
take our word for it that we have mangroves at one end and Salt Ponds at the
other."

The paving and extension of the safety areas has sparked controversy in Key
West as the FAA looks at the feasibility of extending the safety overruns
from their current size of 300 feet by 600 feet to the 500 feet by 1,000
feet required for regional jets. The midsize planes are quickly taking over
the smaller airport market. Horton emphasized that the safety overruns do
not mean extending the runway in any way. "The proposal does not include an
inch of new runway," he said.

Now that the study is complete, it will come before the Monroe County
Commission during a special session scheduled for April 17 at 9 a.m. at the
Harvey Government Center in Key West. If the commission approves it, the
study will go to the FAA, which will decide whether the paving is
economically feasible, or whether to opt for the more environmentally
sensitive choice of the concrete arresting systems.

Also on tap at the special airport meeting will be the newly completed
master plan. The highlight of the plan is the expansion of the terminal.
Increased security, coupled with new services to Atlanta and Orlando are,
says Horton, is pushing waiting passengers literally out on the sidewalk
during peak flying times.


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