"Mitchell plans to shore up runway safety"

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Mitchell plans to shore up safety 
By ANNYSA JOHNSON
The Milwaukee (WI) Journal Sentinel


Mitchell International Airport is among almost 300 U.S. commercial airports
that do not comply with federal standards for 1,000-foot runway buffers,
Deputy Director Ken Kraemer said Friday night.
  
Kraemer said the airport has set aside about $21 million for capital
improvement projects to address the deficiency in 2007 and 2008.

Several options are being considered, among them extending the runway
pavement and installing Engineered Material Arresting Systems, he said. "The
important thing is that the airport is voluntarily moving forward years in
advance of the federal requirement," he said.

Of the three Mitchell runways that commercial carriers use, only one has a
buffer that comes close to the 1,000-foot standard. The 8,012-foot runway
that crosses over Howell Ave. has a 908-foot margin at the west end, but
only a 690-foot margin at the east end, Kraemer said.

The longest runway, 9,690 feet, has buffers of 468 feet on the north end
along Layton Ave. and 330 on the south end. The shortest, 5,868 feet, has
buffers of 448 feet on the northwest end along Layton and 727 feet on the
southeast end.

Attached Graphic:

Mitchell Falls Short

airport10g[1].png