HARLINGEN — The longest airport runway in the Rio Grande Valley is being prepared for improvements.
At 8,301 feet, runway 35L also is the longest of the three runways at Valley International Airport.
But the runway has an approach issue for pilots turning from the taxiway onto the runway, and a significant 500-foot chunk of that runway is not being used by pilots during takeoffs because of that problem.
Some $2 million has been awarded to the airport through a Federal Aviation Administration grant along with $800,000 from the passenger facility charge to pay for a better turn angle from taxiway to runway.
“We’re taking it from a negative 45-degree and turning it into a 90-degree turn,” Bryan Wren, assistant director of aviation at VIA, said yesterday.
“It was a 45-degree turn and they can’t do it.”
“They” would be pilots of larger jets who can’t see to negotiate such a tight turn from taxiway to runway. But the new contours of the approach will make it easier for pilots to maneuver while on the ground, and could enhance the airport’s reputation for airlines using larger planes.
“It will allow an extra, approximately 500 feet, of take-off area to the runway,” Wren said. “Potentially, yes, it is attractive to bigger jets.”
Wren said the construction, when finished, should enhance safety for passengers, and make operations at the airport more efficient.
He noted that thanks to FAA and passenger facility charge funding, no local money was allocated to the $2.8 million improvement project.
Wren said he hopes to break ground on the runway modification on Monday. Construction should take about 110 days, he said.
