Construction recently began on a $44 million air traffic control tower at Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina.
The current tower was built in 1961, making it one of the oldest in the National Airspace System. Replacing it will allow the airport to meet the region’s demand for air travel.
The new 127-foot-tall tower will have an approximate 13,300-square-foot base building and be topped with a 440-square-foot cab for air traffic controllers. The base building will hold the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) with five air traffic controllers.
TRACON guides aircraft on approach and after departure.
In addition, the tower will be more energy efficient than the current tower.
“When Americans fly, they should be able to expect safe, modern, and reliable airports, which are also critical to our local economies,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “A regional economy can only grow as fast as its infrastructure can support, and this new air traffic control tower will support more business, more opportunities, and the potential for continued growth in the region.”
Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration awarded the airport $15 million in Airport Terminal Program funding for the project.
The program is one of three aviation programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.