In North Carolina, a groundbreaking ceremony was held last week on a new Air Traffic Control Tower and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) for Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO).
Construction is thanks to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is investing $61 million into the facility. In so doing, they will replace a tower in operation since 1974, and which no longer possesses modern infrastructure. The new TRACON will be responsible for airspace within a 60-mile radius of GSO, meaning it will control the space of 20 general aviation airports.
“Today we are turning a page,” Steve Showfety, chairman of the GSO, said. “This new tower will give us the modern infrastructure we need to live up to the vision of our master plan and will allow the Piedmont Triad International Airport to continue to add new passenger service, serve our current tenants and also add new tenants who will bring investment and jobs to the community.”
The new facility represents the second new air traffic control facility under construction in the state, with a second at Charlotte Douglas International Airport expected to be completed in summer 2020. The GSO tower, on the other hand, should be in operation sometime in 2022. Archer Western Construction, LLC will handle construction.
“This investment in infrastructure and technology will place the airport in an excellent position for future growth,” Michael O’Harra, regional administrator of the FAA’s Southern Region, said. “The new facility will enable air traffic controllers to provide the safest and most efficient service to Piedmont Triad area travelers for decades to come.”