McGhee Tyson to Expand Taxiway
By Ed Marcum, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tenn.
May 22–The Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority approved a contract Wednesday to build a 1,400-foot taxiway at McGhee Tyson Airport that should help make more of the southwest end of the airport property available for use.
“This will open up about 30-plus acres here for development for things like a fixed-base operator, like TAC Air,” airport authority President Bill Marrison said, referring to the aviation services terminal at the north end of the airport.
The new taxiway would come off of the taxiway that now serves the Northwestern Airlines maintenance facility and extend northeast to an undeveloped area north of an office complex.
The board voted unanimously to approve a $2 million contract with The Harper Co. to build the taxiway. Marrison said 95 percent of the money is provided by federal Airport Improvement Program grant, 2.5 percent from state funds and 2.5 percent from airport funds.
Marrison said this is the final phase of an effort started in about 1995 to make use of 50 acres at the southwest end of the airport.
“It’s unique for an airport to have this much property with direct access to the airfield,” he said.
Among other action Wednesday, the airport authority approved the purchase of a house on Hobbs Road for nearly $140,000. This was at the request of the Tennessee Air National Guard, which asked that the house be acquired for security reasons as the 134th Air Refueling Wing, adjacent to the airport, executes a Base Master Plan.
The board also agreed to sign a one-year contract with GAT Airline Ground Support to provide extra porters to assist passengers with luggage.
“During peak operating times, this would be two people. During nonpeak times it would be one person,” Marrison told board members.
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