A Rendering of the new maintenance complex
Lexington, KY – Blue Grass Airport will construct a new $15 million maintenance building to house the airport’s snow removal equipment and other items as a part of a total $55 million to $70 million project to enhance LEX’s taxiway over the next four years.
“Today’s funding announcement is an important first step in Blue Grass Airport’s ability to move forward on this multi-year initiative,” said Eric Frankl, executive director of Blue Grass Airport. “The airport’s Master Plan identified the importance of this program and included valuable input from airport stakeholders.”
Frankl said the Federal Aviation Administration is funding the project while noting the role played by Sixth District US Rep. Andy Barr (R-Lexington) in helping secure the funds.
The airport will break ground this month on the new 63,000 square foot Maintenance/Snow Removal Equipment Complex to be built near the southwest corner of Aviator Road. That will store 23 pieces of snow removal equipment. Based on FAA guidance, which calculates average annual snowfall, square feet of critical pavement area and a recommended 30-minute clear time, at least 21 pieces of snow removal equipment are needed to plow the airport’s runways, taxiways and aprons, a release from the airport states.
The new complex will provide an additional 20,000 square feet to allow for this equipment as well as space for vehicle maintenance, deliveries, warehouse storage and other day-to-day maintenance functions.
After the maintenance building project is complete, a new public safety and firehouse building will be constructed on the site of the current maintenance building to allow space for a new planned taxiway. Airport spokeswoman Amy Caudill said in an interview that once built, the new public safety building will bring better coverage to the airport’s runways. While Caudill said the current location of the public safety building allows emergency responders to gather on middle of either of the airport’s runways within the federally required three minutes, the new public safety building location will lower the response time.
Construction on the Maintenance/Snow Removal Equipment Complex is expected to be complete by fall 2015 and the entire Taxiway Safety Enhancement Program is expected to conclude in 2018. Partners on the new Maintenance/Snow Removal Equipment Complex include Messer Construction, Connico Inc. (program management) and Parsons Brinckerhoff (design).
The FAA will supply 90 percent of the total funds required for the project while the rest will come from revenues produced by the airport.