Sunday, September 11, 2005

By Steve Gunn CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

Muskegon Chornicle

In case anyone forgot, there's still a $17 million runway extension planned for the Muskegon County Airport.

The project was first discussed in 2000 and endorsed by county commissioners in 2001, but the main work has yet to begin.

Several years' worth of land acquisition, environmental impact studies and other preliminary work have limited visible progress.

The first major part of the project -- street relocation -- is expected to begin next spring. Actual extension of the runway is expected to take place a year later.

The current goal is to have the project finished, and Runway 32 partially relocated and lengthened by 1,100 feet, by the end of 2007, according to officials.

The federal government is paying 95 percent of the cost, with the state and county splitting the other 5 percent.

Muskegon County commissioners recently were reminded of the project when they voted to accept a $957,600 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Approximately $190,000 will be used to reimburse the county for money it spent buying land for the extension, while $767,600 will pay for final design plans for the project.

The design work is expected to be done this winter, allowing street reconfiguration near the airport to start next spring and the actual runway extension to start a year later.

Like many other large projects that involve federal funding and oversight, the original schedule has fallen by the wayside.

The original plan also called for relocation of the air control tower, because under the new airport design, it will be inside the "runway visibility zone." That zone is supposed to remain clear of structures, allowing pilots the visibility they need to avoid collisions on intersecting runways.

However, the FAA canceled the tower relocation, due to lack of funds. As a compromise, airport officials will keep only one runway open overnight, when the tower is closed and nobody is regulating airport traffic.

The total dollar figure for the project also has been adjusted over time.

The originally planned 1,000-foot extension was expected to cost about $4 million. Once the longer runway was planned, the dollar estimate climbed to $14 million, then $21 million. It was most recently adjusted to $17 million, when the federal government shortened the length of the runway extension.

While plans have changed, preliminary work has quietly proceeded.

Land acquisition was a lengthy process. Over several years, the county bought 34 private lots in neighborhoods east of the airport, including many with homes. The homes had to be demolished to create flat conditions for the new runway's safety area.

The total investment for land acquisition was roughly $4.4 million. The federal government has been reimbursing the county for most of that money over time.

Meanwhile, a private firm recently completed an environmental-assessment study on the impact of the project, which was required by the federal government. The results of the study were "as good as you can get," said Paul Roy, the county's director of facilities management.

With all of that out of the way, the project appears headed for the final stretch.

The first noticeable work will be reconfiguration of several major streets near the airport, beginning next spring. The work is necessary because the lengthened runway and its associated safety zones will extend well beyond the current intersection of Grand Haven and Ellis roads.

Perhaps the most noticeable change will be relocation of a section of Grand Haven Road, roughly between Byron and Porter roads. The new section will loop to the east of the road's current north-south route. The old section between Byron and Porter will be abandoned.

A section of Ellis Road, on both the east and west side of its current intersection with Grand Haven Road, also will be closed. The western section of Ellis will end in a cul-de-sac near the airport industrial park, while the eastern section will tie in to the newly relocated section of Grand Haven Road.

A short connector will be added farther to the south, to join Porter Road to the new section of Grand Haven Road.

A left-turn lane probably will be added to the intersection of Sternberg Road and Robert Hunter Road, to accommodate increased traffic. With Ellis Road cut in half, Robert Hunter Road will become the most logical route to the airport entrance.

In spring 2007, the actual runway extension, along with construction of the adjacent taxiway, is scheduled to begin. The loss of Runway 32 during the construction period won't significantly affect airport activity because it generally gets little use in warm weather months, Piette said.

The airport's fire station also will be relocated, either in 2006 or 2007, Piette said.