Carroll County Commissioners unanimously approved a proposal to begin the first phase of the Carroll County Regional Airport’s $80 million runway expansion project.
The Westminster airport’s new runway is planned to be expanded by 400 feet in order to ease the way for aircraft carrying heavier loads to land more safely in adverse conditions. In order to complete the project, a section of Meadow Branch Road will be relocated to west of its current location to provide a larger distance between the runway and the roadway.
The Board of County Commissions gave approval to the airport to begin the preliminary engineering and sub-consulting work necessary to move the roadway. Airport manager Mark Myers explained this work will include gathering geotechnical data, developing preliminary designs and planning for stormwater management.
Myers confirmed the total cost of the preliminary engineering ($450,000) would not use taxpayer money, instead funding will be provided through Federal Aviation Administration and Maryland Aviation Administration grant funding along with federal CARES Act grant money. The airport will provide $11,489 in funding for this stage of the project as well.
From Carroll County Times:
The Federal Aviation Administration announced last month that it would be awarding $15.9 million in grants to airports in Maryland for maintenance and upkeep, of which Carroll County will be getting $232,222. Westminster’s airport also received an additional $69,000 grant from the FAA, funded by the federal relief package.
The next step will be finalizing the design plan for the Meadow Branch Road relocation and starting construction on the road. This stage of the project is estimated to take about a year.
Stay tuned to Conduit Street for more information.
