Huntsville International Airport Completes Taxiway “C” Phase 4C and 4D and Opens for Operation
Huntsville International Airport completed Taxiway “C” phase 4C and 4D and re-opened the taxiway for operations on November 13. This multimillion-dollar project serves to minimize mid-field runway crossings and thus increase safety on the airfield. Contractors on the project were Reed Construction, Rutherford Contracting, WESCO, Garver Engineers, S&ME and Morell Engineering.
Taxiway C is a 10,000 foot taxiway that runs parallel to Runway 18L/36R. It opened in November after four years of planning and four years of construction. In addition, Taxiway C is designed to accommodate Group VI aircraft. This project completes efforts to provide a Group VI compliant parallel taxiway for both the east and west runways at HSV. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets design standards for airport infrastructure and aircraft compatibility. The FAA, under DOT, also oversees the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant distribution program.
In 2018 Senator Shelby announced that Huntsville International Airport would receive a $29.1 million federal discretionary grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to complete construction of Taxiway C.
Huntsville International Airport CEO, Rick Tucker, said:This is another example of Senator Richard Shelby supporting infrastructure needs at an Alabama airport through additional supplemental discretionary funds. Senator Shelby has always been a champion for small community airports throughout the country, especially Alabama. Without his support and his work on the appropriations committee this project would not have been possible. Taxiway C eliminates a significant number of runway crossings by cargo aircraft and therefore creates a safer ground operation at HSV. We continue to be grateful to Senator Richard Shelby, Senator Doug Jones, Congressman Robert Aderholt and Congressman Mo Brooks for their support of Huntsville International Airport.
The FAA, under DOT, oversees the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant distribution program. The Fiscal Year 2018 (FY2018) Omnibus Appropriations Bill provided FAA an additional $1 billion in discretionary grants for FY2018 – FY2020, enabling the Secretary of Transportation to award funding for priority consideration projects. The Huntsville International Airport met priority funding eligibility and was included in the first round of awards facilitated by the added discretionary funding. Initial phases of Taxiway C construction were completed from 2015-2020 with funding provided by the FAA.
This article was originally published by Huntsville International Airport.
