Taxiway Bravo (“B”) is located on the west side of Runway 1/19 and runs north and south to the Runway. The project includes 5,892 ft. of pavement X 50 ft wide.
In February 2005, the Federal Aviation Administration stated, “we (FAA) have determined that due to non-standard separation between Runway 1-19 and current parallel Taxiway “B” the State should consider undertaking the relocation of Taxiway “B” in this Fiscal Year as a first priority.” In August 2006, a federal grant offer was made to start design work on the taxiway relocation.
The FAA runway safety standards require a minimum separation of 300 ft from the centerline of Runway 1/19 to the centerline of the taxiway. Taxiway Bravo has only 200 ft. separation which meets no safety standard in existence today.
Following the events of hurricane Katrina, State and Federal Emergency Management Teams evaluated Republic Airport as a potential resource in a natural or man made emergency. This information was taken into account during the final design phases of the relocated Taxiway and it was agreed that the Taxiway separation would meet Group II design standards and the turning radius accommodate Group III aircraft which would be used in an emergency situation.
The relocated taxiway will have no permanent effect on the operation of aircraft at the airport. Since there will be no changes to runways, the project will not effect the size of aircraft using the airport. (See Taxiway Bravo video)
This project is designed to improve the safety of the airport. The purpose of the project is to allow an aircraft that inadvertently leaves the runway to regain control or stop prior to reaching the taxiway. This reduces the risk of two aircraft colliding and reduces the chance of damage to aircraft or its occupants.
The project was covered in the press and presented to eleven (11) civic organizations. Over 350 letters of correspondence were sent to interested parties during the planning and design phase.
In August 2007 federal funds were made available for the construction of Phase I which began in the summer of 2008 and was completed in 2009. Phases II and Phase III will begin Spring 2010 and will be completed later this year. Due to the overall cost of the project of almost $16M, the relocation has been constructed in several different phases. (See Project Phasing-PDF) There will be occasional runway closures associated with construction and some airport closures due to work near the intersection of the two runways. The airport will provide notice to tenants of these closures.
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