The ZAA has made a determination to better serve the aviation and safety needs of the facility and the region by rehabilitating Runway 17-35 to a length that is more suitable for actual and projected aviation operations.
Existing terrain and incompatible land uses that are adjacent to the airport property have reduced the usable portion of the runway as well. The threshold of Runway 35 has been displaced by 280’. The threshold of Runway 17 has been displaced by 550’, largely due to the impact of S.R. 288 on the approach surfaces. As a result of multiple surface penetrations, nighttime operations involving Runway 17 have been suspended.
In an effort to eliminate these conditions, the airport authority pursued grants to improve the service at the airport and secured funding to start these improvements. The final goal is to achieve 5,002’ final runway length and eliminate restrictions for night operation. The first phase included the reconstruction of 4,000ft starting from runway 35 end and eliminating 282ft of displacement. In conjunction with the overall project goal, a proposed realignment project for SR 288, which is adjacent to the runway, was designed and constructed to eliminate runway obstructions for runway 17. A second phase was constructed for the final 1,002ft on the runway 17 end. As part of the final phase, the elevation of runway 17 was increased by 17ft. This final phase allowed the use of the airport for night operation with no restrictions.