New St. George airport hits halfway mark

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ST. GEORGE -- The biggest and most expensive construction project in St. George history has passed the halfway mark. It's that city's new municipal airport, and it's so big it's helping to keep the economy alive during hard times.

The project was in the planning stages for many years, and was delayed significantly by studies to determine noise impacts at nearby Zion National Park. All that is history now, and it's starting to look like a real, big-city airport.

Map of new St. George Municipal Airport, courtesy SGU Construction. Click to enlarge

Not so long ago, the valley where the new airport is going up was pretty much empty -- except for an abandoned airstrip from the 1930s, adopted by enthusiasts from a model airplane club. Now, all that history is buried under the future St. George airport.

"This airport is five times bigger than our current airport," says Larry Bulloch, public works director for the city of St. George.

The price tag is $160 million, plus another $100 million for an expressway connection to Interstate 15. It's a complete replacement for the existing St. George Airport.

For years, growth has been hamstrung by the existing airport's location: on top of a 0.5-square-mile mesa, with take-offs and landings directly over St. George neighborhoods.

"It was constrained. It could not be expanded and upgraded to meet the FAA safety standards," Bulloch says.

**By the numbers… St. George Municipal Airport**

• $160 million project • 9,300 ft. (1.8 miles) runway expandable to 11,500 ft. • Built on 1,200 acres, nearly five times the size of existing airport • Will accommodate regional jet aircraft, 737s and Airbus 319s • To be completed by January 13, 2011

The new runway is more than a half mile longer than the one St. George has relied on for years. That puts it in a whole new category, with lots more opportunity. "This new airport will be able to handle both regional jets and 737s," Bulloch says.

With St. George's first airliner capability, and a new two-story terminal with jet ways and baggage carousels, city leaders hope to lure major airlines and attract businesses that will boost the regional economy.

Meanwhile, hundreds of construction jobs over the last 16 months have been more than welcome in a part of Utah hard hit by the recession.

"It has been the project that has carried us through the last few years, economically," Bulloch says. "There would have been more people out of work, hundreds of people out of work, I'm sure."

The new runway is just about ready for paving. If construction crews manage to stay on schedule, St. George's new airport should open a year from now, on January 13, 2011.

E-mail: jhollenhorst@ksl.com