Jefferson County Airpark in Ohio to extend taxiway with grant funds to end back-taxiing on runway
Why It MattersPublic grant money is increasingly steering regional airports toward separating taxi flows from runways, a safety and efficiency upgrade aimed at the growing jet traffic that smaller airfields now handle.
Jefferson County leaders on Thursday highlighted plans to improve safety and efficiency at the Jefferson County airpark in Ohio, pointing to recent grant funding and growing jet traffic that officials say is benefiting the local economy. Airpark officials said the regional airport has received significant grant funding this year and plans to use some of the money to extend a designated aircraft path used to move between runways, hangars, terminals and other facilities.
Airpark Authority board member Tom Gentile said the airport handles a lot of jet traffic as well as many small aircraft. He said extending the taxiway will eliminate the need for back-taxiing, in which an aircraft pulls onto the runway and uses it as a roadway. Airpark leaders said the project is intended to add a safety feature and streamline operations for arriving and departing jets by separating the roadway leading to the runways from the runway itself.
Gentile said the increased jet traffic is also having a local economic impact, noting that visiting jets buy a lot of fuel. Jefferson County Commissioner Tony Morelli said the county is pleased with what it is seeing at the airport, credited the board's leadership for the progress, and said the commissioners support the board as much as they can. Gentile attributed the airport's success in winning grants to collaboration among the county commissioners, the airport board, airport management and an engineering firm, adding that the grants have come from both the federal government and the state of Ohio.
