Ruston airport moves to expand
By Jordan Blum
jblum@monroe.gannett.com
RUSTON — Airports are hectic across the nation during the holidays, but city officials have their eyes on a future in which they hope Ruston will have busy skies.
The first major step nearing completion is the purchase of two parcels of land that will allow the runway of Ruston Regional Airport to expand about 1,000 feet.
The next few years will see the airport expand, and the longterm goal includes a new airport interchange from Interstate 20 near an expanding industrial growth area. The hope is that regional commuter airlines one day will have commercial flights from Ruston, said Mayor Dan Hollingsworth.
"You'll be able to land jets out there with the improving economic development atmosphere and the possible relocation of businesses here in the future," Hollingsworth said. "There'll be a lot of people using our airport where there hasn't been much demand in the past."
Hollingsworth believes regional air travel could make more sense than major airport hubs in the future. His vision includes western Ouachita Parish, where some travelers are closer to Ruston than Monroe Regional Airport on the eastern edge of the city, he said.
But before any of the longterm dreams become reality, a long process must be completed to extend the runway to 6,000 feet, Ruston Airport Authority commissioners said.
Once all the property is purchased, the city requires approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
The state is involved because Louisiana 146, which runs through the southern edge of the airport, has to be straightened out and moved a little southwest to accommodate the expansion, said
Chairman Dale Sistrunk, head of the Louisiana Tech University aviation department.
About the final 200 feet of the runway cannot be used now because of "threshold displacement," meaning the highway is too close to the runway.
This was known when the airport opened in 1994 to replace the smaller, 50-year-old municipal airport. But commissioners originally planned to fix the problem sooner.
The total project will cost about $3 million, but Sistrunk said he hopes to gain close to $300,000 in start-up funds next year for design and engineering work, once the FAA gives the green light.
Federal dollars would fund 90 percent of the project with the FAA requiring a 10 percent match. The goal is to acquire matching funds from the state, Sistrunk said.
The 4,800 feet of usable runway is a little short for many corporate jets. Only a handful of regional companies, like Davison Transport, Weyerhaeuser Corp. and Smurfit-Stone Container, use the airport, Sistrunk said. The 6,000-foot runway would allow landings by virtually all corporate jets, charter flights and small commercial flights.
Originally published December 29, 2004
|
|
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Choudawg86
