Naples Municipal Airport has opened the new Taxiway A extension, making it easier for aircraft to use the full length of the airport’s main runway for takeoff. Planes that begin departures from the end of the runway reach higher altitudes before leaving airport property, lessening sound on the ground.
The airport paved the safety areas at the ends of Runway 5/23 in 2011 to increase takeoff distance from 5,000 to 5,800 feet, but Taxiway A did not run the full length of the longer runway. The new, easy access to the end of the runway saves time and fuel. It also enhances airport safety and operations by eliminating the need for aircraft leaving from the east side of the airport to cross the active runway to take off.
The taxiway extension is part of an $8 million water-management system improvement project underway at the airport. With 95 percent of the funding from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation, the project is designed to improve runoff and stormwater collection; water filtration and impurities removal; and distribution of clean water into Rock Creek and the Gordon River.
Testing water from the airfield has shown that it is cleaner than residential runoff, but the airport accepts and cleans runoff from 400 acres of industrial development east of the airport. Crenels and baffles are being added to retention ponds to slow water flow and increase the effectiveness of the filtration process.
In addition, shorelines are being altered to discourage wildlife, enhancing safety for aircraft operations and surrounding communities by reducing the potential for bird strikes.
The project includes the design and construction of automated water-monitoring systems, and grant funding includes monitoring the results of the improvements for two years. If results confirm expectations, the project is likely to set a national standard for how airports should handle water-management issues.
A delay in grant funding postponed the start of the construction project, but project consultant Hanson Professional Services and contractor Manhattan Construction worked with airport staff to streamline construction and make it possible to complete the taxiway extension and other work on the airfield before the end of the year.
Naples Municipal Airport, a certificated air-carrier airport, is home to flight schools, air charter operators, car rental agencies and corporate aviation and nonaviation businesses as well as fire/rescue services, mosquito control, the Collier County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit and other community services.
During the 2012-2013 fiscal year, the airport accommodated 91,605 takeoffs and landings.
All funds used for the airport’s operation, maintenance and improvements are generated from activities at the airport or from federal and state grants; the airport receives no property tax dollars. The Florida Department of Transportation values the airport’s economic impact to the community at more than $273 million annually.
To learn more or to subscribe for email updates about the airport, visit www.FlyNaples.com.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2013/dec/23/taxiway-extension-opens-at-naples-municipal-airpor/