CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston’s Yeager Airport is expected to receive federal funds to fix its hillside that collapsed more than two years ago.
Assistant Director Nick Keller told board members Wednesday officials with the Federal Aviation Administration will provide the money to repair the EMAS (Engineered Material Arresting System) that was destroyed on March 12, 2015.
Airport officials have been meeting with the FAA and members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. to secure the funding. Airport Director Terry Sayre said they’re requesting at least $20 million from the FAA for the project.
“We could take it in some stages,” he said. “We need a design grant right now to get started.”
Before requesting a grant, Yeager has to make sure its proposal does not impact airlines.
“We’ve already contacted Delta and American, but we’re waiting on United to come back and tell us whether or not the interim fix proposal affects any of their operations here. Right now, we don’t think it will, but we need to hear back from them on that before we can proceed forward with asking the FAA for a grant,” Sayre said.
Yeager officials hope to hear back from the FAA within the next few weeks.
Work to rebuild the slope could begin as early as this fall, Sayre said. The long term goal, he said, is to extend the other end of the runway into Charleston’s Coonskin Park.
Representatives with Landrum & Brown were at the board meeting Wednesday to provide an update on the airport’s Master Plan. The plan includes changes to the airport’s runway on both ends.
The first phase of the project includes slightly reducing the length of the runway on the 5-end, where the slide occurred.
Matt Less, vice president of the Landrum & Brown, said they’re now trying to determine the airport’s runway length. He gave a presentation during Wednesday’s board meeting.
“We are now looking for the most critical aircraft, what aircraft needs the longest runway and where’s it going. From that, then we’ll see how long a runway should the airport have, they we’ll look at different alternatives to provide that length, Less said.
Keller said the airport wants to build a shorter EMAS bed at 350 feet long.
“There will be a retaining wall, a little bit of dirt fill and then the EMAS bed will be on top of that,” Keller said.
Earlier this month, Yeager reached a $900,000 settlement with Triad Engineering, one of the parties involved in the slope failure. Several other lawsuits in connection with the collapse remain unsettled.