AUBURN—The DeKalb County Airport Authority has received the Federal Aviation Administration’s blessing to extend the airport’s runway from 5,000 to 7,000 feet.
The FAA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact after a study found the project met the agency’s standards. The Airport Authority made the announcement at its regular meeting Friday.
“This means DeKalb County is on the map,” said Don Manley, vice president of Butler, Fairman & Seufert Civil Engineers.
Manley said he has worked with his firm and the DeKalb County Airport since the early 1980s and has seen the airport grow immensely. He helped initiate a previous runway extension project nearly two decades ago.
Airport Authority President Brad Hartz said the FAA’s approval is a big step forward. He said the FAA considers everything it takes to operate an airport and makes a decision based on factors such as the airport’s environmental impact, past incidents and potential future needs.
The FAA has examined the reasons the airport gave for extending the runway and agreed. However, Hartz said there is still a great deal of work to be done, including rerouting power lines, considering wetlands and planning the design for the extension.
“It’s just one more piece of the puzzle,” Hartz said.
The plan includes closing a stretch of C.R. 29 between C.R. 60 and C.R. 62 to make way for the extension. To reroute traffic, C.R. 62 will be extended to C.R. 31.
Most airport accidents occur off the end of the runway in an area referred to as the Runway Protection Zone. To comply with FAA standards for the future runway’s protection zone, the Airport Authority already has purchased several properties along C.R. 31 and plans to trim trees.
Butler, Fairman & Seufert Airport Department Manager Paul Shaffer said it’s late in the year to expect funding from the FAA for the project, because the agency’s fiscal year ends in September. Hartz said there is a chance the FAA might grant the airport money in 2015, but it’s hard to say.
One reason the airport sought to extend its runway was to better accommodate small corporate jets that already use the airport, said Russ Couchman, Airport Authority general manager and treasurer.