The second and final phase of the Santa Maria Public Airport runway extension project will soon be underway thanks to a major federal grant.
On Sept. 22, Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) announced she secured a nearly $7.5 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program to complete the airport’s extension project. The development will add 1,700 feet to the main runway, increasing the airport’s capacity to accommodate larger commercial and private aircraft.
The grant is expected to cover approximately 95 percent of the final phase’s costs.
The Airport Improvement Program—which provides grants to public agencies for the development of public-use airports—is funded exclusively by airline traveler fees, not taxpayer money.
Legislators and airport district officials have touted the project as a major milestone for the airport. This is its first significant infrastructure project in several years, and is expected to play a major role in attracting more businesses and tourists to the area.
“Every year the Santa Maria airport contributes millions of dollars to our local economy, and the building of the new runway will create local construction jobs right here on the Central Coast, while encouraging long-term economic growth,” Capps said in a prepared statement.
“Extending the runway will allow the airport to accommodate larger planes, bringing travelers and business leaders from all over the world to the Central Coast. It will also enhance the safety of airline passengers and our local communities,” she said.
Hugh Rafferty, president of the airport district’s board of directors, agreed about the impact the project will have on the community.
“There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the future of the Santa Maria Valley depends on an infrastructure that will support creation of small business, expansion of our current economic base, and an inducement to bring in new businesses and new jobs,” he said.
“The runway expansion project is a vital part of that infrastructure and is, without a doubt, the engine that will drive the local economy for years to come, starting with the infusion of almost $7.5 million into the local community in construction alone,” he added.
The Santa Maria airport is one of the state’s largest airports, at 2,598 acres. The development will expand the runway from 6,300 feet to 8,000 feet long.
The first phase of the extension project began in October 2010, after the airport received a similar FAA grant for $4.1 million. The first phase covered most of the extension of the airport’s taxiway, grading around the runway, and drainage work.
District officials were banking on the latest grant to complete the project, which now entails sealing cracks on the existing runway, the actual extending and paving of the additional portion of the runway, and the relocation of navigational lighting.
Minor closures are expected through late 2012, but will be scheduled to minimize the effect on air traffic.
This article appears in Sep 29 – Oct 6, 2011.