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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 9653 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 9653 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council August 5, 2014 `�` Page 1 of 2 r SUBJECT: STATUS OF CROSSWIND RUNWAY AT FORT WORTH MEACHAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT The purpose of this Informal Report is to update the City Council on the status of the crosswind runway (Runway 9/27) at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport (Meacham). The attached Exhibit A presents a map depicting this runway. Runway 9/27 is currently closed due to its poor condition. In order to be opened, the runway would need to be fully reconstructed. In 1998, the Aviation Department proposed to close Runway 9/27 due to its deteriorating condition and the increased number of runway incursions. Mayor and Council Communication (M&C) G-12125, presented to the Council in February of that year, called for the immediate closure of this runway. The reasons for the proposed closure included numerous runway incursions and the potential loss of the airport's federal "Part 139" operating certificate due to those incursions. Runway 9/27 intersects both north-south runways — i.e. Runway 16/34 and Runway 17/35 -- in addition to intersecting three high-traffic taxiways, thereby increasing the risk for incursion or incident. These locations are described by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as "hot spots". Other reasons stated for closure were lack of funding for maintenance or reconstruction of the runway and the fact that the two north-south runways handled 95 percent of the wind coverage for the airport. Members of the local Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), however, spoke against the closure during two Council meetings in 1998. Consequently, the Council declined to authorize the runway closure at that time. In 2004, a new Master Plan and subsequent draft Airport Layout Plan (ALP) were created for Meacham. These plans supported the closure of Runway 9/27, but no action was taken by Aviation staff at that time. FAA guidelines specify that the runway orientation at any airport should account for at least 95 percent of wind coverage. According to the wind analysis in the Master Plan, 98.3% of all operations will be covered if Runway 9/27 is closed, assuming a 15-knot direct crosswind. There are four airports in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area that currently provide crosswind coverage: DFW, Dallas Love Field, Mineral Wells, and Dallas Executive. In 2011, due to the crosswind runway's continued deterioration, the Aviation Department contracted with Garver Engineering to assess the runway's condition and make recommendations. Garver determined through core samples and inspections that the runway was in "poor' condition in some areas and "failed" condition in others. Based on that study, Garver recommended that if the runway were to remain open, the runway would need to be fully reconstructed. In 2012, Aviation staff submitted a Letter of Intent (LOI) to the Texas Department of Transportation for the full reconstruction of Runway 9/27. Current estimates for the reconstruction are between $5 and $6 million. Engineers looked at the possibility of performing a less expensive rehabilitation of the runway in the form of an asphalt overlay. They determined, however, that due to the poor condition of the runway and the depth of the asphalt being as thin as two inches in depth, the equipment would damage the runway or possibly fall through the asphalt. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 9653 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council August 5, 2014 `�` Page 2 of 2 r SUBJECT: STATUS OF CROSSWIND RUNWAY AT FORT WORTH MEACHAM r ;FINTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TxDOT and the FAA have previously declined to fund any maintenance or re-construction of Runway 9/27. They have stated that there is no regional safety need for Runway 9/27, nor is there any requirement for Meacham to keep the runway open. The Aviation Department presented a briefing to the Aviation Advisory Board on July 17, 2014, which included runway status information, a review of efforts by the City to secure funding, and reasons for the denial of funding by the State and FAA. At that meeting, members of the General Aviation community spoke in support of keeping the runway open and active. Aviation staff intends to make an additional request for funding in September 2014. Staff will request the State fund 90 percent of the project. If funding is available, the Aviation Department will seek authorization from City Council to formally apply for the grant and for Aviation to pledge the 10 percent match. If the State determines that this runway is not eligible for Airport Improvement Program funding, however, then the City will have to consider whether 100 percent local funding would be justifiable in view of other airport needs. If you have any questions about this information, please contact Bill Welstead, Aviation Director, at 817-392-5400 or bill.welstead@fortworthtexas.gov. David Cooke City Manager Attachment ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS 0 tll r fit Aja r uuuuuuuuuu ^, �i/� r f N -0 Q x y, LU Q0 J , ei 'ij