Document text
Study: Runway long enough Extension will allow growth, report shows By JILL BRISKEY A recent study shows that the newly expanded runway at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport will carry the community well into the future without any major changes. That's good news for airport officials gearing up to replace the terminal and move the air control flight tower, according to Director Bern Case. "A lot of people were wondering if the runway was the right length (for future growth)," Case said. "Now we know it is." The $50,000 study was paid for by a state grant from Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Inc. Last year, the airport's 6,700-foot runway was extended to 8,800 feet. The three-year project - part of the airport's 1993 master plan - included new lighting and guiding systems. The work cost approximately $14 million. The extension allows heavier cargo planes to make use of the runways, and Case said increased freight means more business within the airport's foreign trade zone. Case said he was surprised to learn from the researcher - Coffman Association Inc. of Kansas City, Mo. - that the county wouldn't need to extend the runway or change its location later on. "Planes get more and more effective as time goes on," Case said. "They don't need as much length (to take off or land) as before." If for some reason the county chose to expand the runway, Case said the project would cost an estimated $115 million. The airport would have to purchase land because there isn't enough room on existing property. It could take several years before the county replaces its congested terminal, which has been expanded and remodeled many times, Case said. A financial planning firm in Colorado is working on that project's estimated cost. The information will be presented to airport officials in two or three months, he added. Case said the FAA will pay to move the flight tower, but additional information on the future project was not available for this story. Jackson County Commissioner and airport liaison Ric Holt was pleased with study's results, adding that expanding the airport's services will benefit both the county and the region. "Certainly the airport and the surrounding trade zone is going to be big in our future and even now," Holt said. "It's the jewel in our crown." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.