The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that construction is now underway on a new air traffic control tower at Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) in North Carolina.
The new energy-efficient tower will help the airport meet the growing demand for air travel in the region, alongside an expanded and modernised terminal.
It will be 127 feet tall and topped by a 440-square-foot cab for three air traffic controllers.
In addition, a 13,300-square-foot base building will house the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) along with five air traffic controllers. This facility will guide aircraft on approach and after departure from the airport.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said:When Americans fly, they should be able to expect safe, modern, and reliable airports, which are also critical to our local economies. A regional economy can only grow as fast as its infrastructure can support, and this new air traffic control tower will support more business, more opportunities, and the potential for continued growth in the region.
Built in 1961, the current tower at AVL is one of the oldest in the National Airspace System.
The 44 million USD project to replace it is supported by 15 million USD in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding from the Airport Terminal Program.
Deputy FAA Administrator A. Bradley Mims said:Because of this once-in-a-generation funding, the over 60-year-old air traffic control tower will be replaced to provide safer operations with improved technology as demand continues to grow in the area.
