The Birmingham Airport Authority is moving forward with two construction projects at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, despite COVID-19 and its impact on air travel across the country.
The authority states that the two projects will improve airport infrastructure and enhance safety and efficiency, while making a positive economic impact for the local community.
“We’re very pleased to move forward on these projects,” said Ronald Mathieu, Birmingham Airport Authority president and CEO. “It’s our commitment, our task and our job to not only improve the airport infrastructure for the users of the airport, but to also make an economic impact for those who live, work and do business in our community.”
The projects are funded through the Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program discretionary grants and CARES Act funds. Construction will begin in the upcoming weeks and will not impact arriving and departing travelers.
Dunn Construction will address pavement fatigue and extend the useful life of the 7,100-foot runway primarily used for general aviation traffic. Work will include 3-inch mill and overlay with a runway closure of up to 70 days. The estimated cost of the project is $8.1 million and is being paid with 90% funds from the FAA AIP discretionary grant and 10% from CARES Act funds.
Tortorigi Construction will address signal interference to the glide slope (antenna) to improve the navigational aid for pilots landing on Runway 24 – the primary runway at the airport. The work includes grading and drainage work for approximately 180 days at a cost of $3 million. The project is being paid for with 97% FAA AIP discretionary grant and CARES Act funds and 3% from the Birmingham Airport Authority.
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is Alabama’s largest commercial airport, serving nearly 3 million passengers in 2019. According to a 2019 report on the economic impact of Alabama’s six major commercial service airports, conducted by M. Keivan Deravi, of Economic Research Services Inc., for the Alabama Aviation Council of Alabama, the airport has a $1.6 billion economic impact on Alabama.
