Grant to Aid Airport Safety Zones

By A.J. Higgins, Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

May 16–AUGUSTA — Expansion of a runway safety area at Augusta State Airport will move forward in the wake of new federal funding.

The new allocation announced Monday by U.S. Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins brings the airport’s allocation to $685,000 for the year.

Augusta State Airport manager John Guimond said Tuesday that nearly $500,000 will be dedicated to acquiring two properties on Mulliken Court to permit expansion of the 300-foot safety area at the southern tip of one of the runways.

“The properties are currently on the market, so this seemed like a good time to begin those negotiations,” Guimond said.

Ultimately, the airport may pursue a new traffic plan for the section of Western Avenue near Shaw’s Plaza in which Airport Road could be relocated several hundred feet east of its current location, Guimond said. He said a meeting will be scheduled sometime during early June to present proposals to the public on the proposed location of the new airport access road.

In announcing the funding, the senators said the state’s 19 airports will receive a combined $8.5 million from the Federal Aviation Administration to upgrade and maintain Maine’s aviation facilities.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

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