Airport gets FAA grant for runway safety project

The Federal Aviation Administration has announced the award of a $16.3 million dollar grant to the Corpus Christi International Airport. The money will be spent on reconfiguring the runway and taxiway system at the airport.

The Airport has completed preliminary work on the project. That work included a Taxiway and Runway Utilization Study, land acquisition and the enviromental assessment. The $16.3 million dollars will be spent on Phase One which oncludes design and construction of the improvements to Runway 17-35, the shorter of the two runways at CCIA. The airport, as required by the FAA, will fund 10% of the project.

This project was identified as a priority for CCIA to alleviate a safety issue that was identified by the FAA. The Runways are currently designed in a “V” configuration with a cunnecting taxiway on the southern most end of the system. The new design will include displacing the southern ends of the two runways and extending them to the north to eliminate the risk of incursions where the runways nearly meet. When the project is complete, the Runway and Taxiway system at CCIA will meet the latest standards set forth by the FAA for safe and efficient use for all commercial, miltary and general aiation traffic. Phase Two is expected to kick in next year with a similar scenario for Runway 13-31.

While there have not been any serious incursion problems at CCIA, the airport’s current runway configuration poses a potential risk for pilots who are familiar with the airport’s runway system or who do not pay close attention to signage on the taxiways. “Redesigning the runway system will help ensure safety for passengers and pilots who are flying in and out of CCIA” said Fred Segundo, Director of Avaition at Corpus Christi International. “Safety on the airfield is our #1 priority”, said Segundo.