New FAA approval sets Hilton Head Airport runway extension in motion
An environmental study on extending the Hilton Head Island Airport's runway to 5,000 feet won federal approval this week.
The Federal Aviation Administration approval clears the way for Beaufort County, which owns the airport, to start an 18- to 20-month design, bid and permitting process for the project, according to county documents. The study said the extension would have little environmental impact.
Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2016 and will take 18 months.
"The determination by the FAA that our project is consistent with national environmental policy marks an important milestone in our mission to provide an efficient, modern facility," county airports director Jon Rembold said in a prepared statement. "We are excited to continue this great momentum and look forward to move the runway extension project forward."
Extending the runway to 5,000 feet, from its current 4,300 feet, is expected to cost about $9.25 million, according to county documents. Federal and state grants will pay about 95 percent, with the airport expected to contribute about $510,000.
The study completed last year found the project would have no impact on air quality, migratory birds and wildlife, or noise. However, some airport neighbors continue to express concerns about the project, and more than 125 residents packed a presentation about the study's findings last April.
Many of those concerns are about extending the runway farther, to 5,400 feet, which is part of consultants' recommended master plan for the airport.
The current study, however, focused only on extending the runway to 5,000 feet. A county and Town of Hilton Head Island joint resolution authorizes only the 5,000-foot length, Rembold and county administrator Gary Kubic said. To extend the runway farther would require a new resolution to be voted on by both councils, according to Kubic.
As for other improvements at the airport, construction projects are expected to begin on taxiways at each end of the runway this year, Rembold said.
Design work is nearly completed, and construction bids will be accepted later this year, he said. Rembold expects construction to begin on the first taxiway in the fall. Those projects are expected to cost about $4.4 million, with federal and state grants paying for about 95 percent of that amount.
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This story was originally published February 11, 2015 at 6:05 PM with the headline "New FAA approval sets Hilton Head Airport runway extension in motion."