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In its 56-year history, Valley International Airport is reaching new heights.
Two months away from opening a $35 million runway to debut as the longest landing strip south of Austin, officials are planning to launch construction of a $20 million control tower as air traffic grows.
“These are by far the two biggest projects in terms of amount of money and the undertaking,” Marv Esterly, the airport’s aviation director, said. “These are big projects, long overdue. It’s quite extensive.”
More than a year after launching the project aimed at boosting the airport’s cargo operations, officials are planning to open the 9,400-foot runway on May 1, Bryan Wren, the airport’s assistant aviation director, said, describing the landing strip as “the longest south of Austin.”
“We want to provide the best service,” Esterly said.
“It will be the longest, with the best approaches in the Rio Grande Valley and in South Texas,” he said. “It’s great for our contractors like FedEx. There could be increased revenue as more companies come to the Valley.”
As part of the project, officials are extending the runway by 1,100 feet, aiming to boost the airport’s cargo capacity.
”This added length will improve take-off performance of the Boeing 767 traffic, particularly FedEx cargo aircraft,” Esterly said.
Based on the runway’s current length, flight rules restrict air freight haulers to 48% of their cargo capacity, he said.
Soon, the longer runway will help the airport boost its cargo capacity to 75%, he said.
As part of the project, two upgraded approaches will cut aircraft approach minimums in half, Esterly said.
“It will allow aircraft to safely get closer and lower to the runway end,” Wren said. “It enhances safety and reduces potential diversions.”
In bad weather, the new approaches will cut delays, Esterly said.
“This will reduce weather delays and cancellations during inclement weather events for commercial airliners arriving into the RGV,” he said.
Now, officials are planning to launch construction of the $20 million project to build a 120-foot air control tower, expected to open in about two years, Wren said.
“It’s bringing the airport into the future,” Esterly said. “It will allow us to increase air traffic capacity. As we increase capacity, we want to assure we remain safe.”
The new tower will replace the airport’s aging 65-foot tower built in 1971, Wren said.
“It will tie into the new runway, with new equipment, radars and navigational aids making it a state-of-the-art facility,” he said.
