Runway 5-23 Extension (Justification, EA, ALP) at Middle Georgia Regional Airport

Macon-Bibb County had been attempting for some time (i.e., years) to secure justification for a runway extension. These efforts spanned three airport consultants and over 10+ years of effort. Passero was contacted by Macon-Bibb County in March 2020 for assistance in obtaining FAA and GDOT approval of the desired runway extension. The justification study was submitted in June 2020, approved by GDOT on August 6, 2020, and approved by the FAA on October 7, 2020. Passero served the client by completing the planning and technical report in a timely manner, providing a high-quality product, and obtaining the planning approval quickly, enabling Middle Georgia Regional Airport to move the project forward.

An updated Environmental Assessment (EA) immediately commenced and received a FONSI from the FAA on May 28, 2021. The EA included extensive engineering design and coordination with GDOT, FAA - Atlanta ADO, and FAA - Atlanta Regional Office.

Based on FAA Advisory Circulars and existing airport tenant operational data, Passero demonstrated that a 600’ extension was justified for the airport, which would increase the length of Runway 5/23 from 6,500’ to 7,100’. Based upon Passero’s report, GDOT concurred with a 7,100’-7,300’ total length.

The FAA requested that the extension alternatives be re-evaluated based on the justified length of 7,100’. Passero’s planning team proposed an alternate to the previously preferred alternative, by others, resulting in a reduction in the estimated construction costs from $40 million to the $12-14 million range by using Declared Distances and an Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS). The proposed alternate not only satisfied the airport sponsor’s initial project goals, but also included bringing the Runway 5 safety area into compliance with FAA standards.

The design phase of the project is underway, with the stated goal of receiving competitive bids in time to take advantage of potential fiscal year 2022-2023 funding made available by the recently passed federal infrastructure bill.