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An Airport Master Plan Study is a process to plan for the short-, mid-, and long-term development goals of an airport. An Airport Master Plan Study process is recorded in a written Airport Master Plan document.
An Airport Master Plan guides the physical growth of the airport so that it is coordinated with the future demand for services, the available funding, and the environment. The Airport Master Plan uses text and drawings to explain plans for future development both on and around the airport. It also includes a proposed schedule for development and funding. An Airport Master Plan is also a tool to meet local, state and federal regulations, many of which are tied to funding.
An AMP provides detailed answers to questions about how the plan was developed with background information and rationale for the future plans. It includes information about environmental impacts, financial analyses, technical analyses, and other details used in developing the ALP drawings. This Airport Master Plan will include the following chapters:
- Inventory of existing airport conditions and facilities — this master plan will focus on environmental resources (What’s here and what’s happening now.)
- Forecasts of aviation activity (What is going to happen in the future?)
- Demand-Capacity Analysis (What’s the difference between where we are and where we’re going?)
- Facility requirements for the future — this master plan will focus on airfield layout (What will we need to build to meet those future needs?)
- Airfield Alternatives (A screening of different runway options explored over the years)
- Conceptual Landside Development (Exploring long-term development direction once the new runway is in place)
- Capital Improvements Program (The budget. How will we pay for it?)
- Land Use Compatibility (A guide to adjacent development and local policy considerations)
- Airport Layout Plan or ALP (Here’s a map of what we’re going to build.)
An ALP is a detailed, scaled drawing of existing and proposed airport facilities. These include runways, taxiways, aircraft parking areas, terminal building(s), safety and maintenance buildings, general aviation and corporate facilities, and air cargo facilities. Along with the current and proposed facilities, the ALP drawings show associated areas that are required for operations and those reserved for safety called “airspace.” The ALP drawings are created with computer aided drafting and design techniques.
An ALP can be described as one big “blueprint.” It is a single, two-dimensional plan-view drawing of the airport. A broader term, “ALP set”, is used to describe several pages of drawings with more details like road access, parking, land use, and airspace. ALP sets may also have some text describing what is shown on the drawings.
Yes. During the planning process, the consultants use the FAA’s Integrated Noise Model to predict noise levels associated with every proposed project. The model produces noise contours showing anticipated noise levels around the airport in 2030. The contours look like a series of rippling circles (similar to elevation contours) and show how noise levels change in relation to distance from the airport. Noise is also a consideration during the environmental reviews that precede construction projects.
An ALP is required for most airport development projects that receive state or federal funding. An airport can update an ALP as often as they want without undertaking a master plan.
An Airport Master Plan (AMP) is not required by either agency but is encouraged. It’s encouraged because the AMP helps to answer questions about who, what, where and why the projects are important to the airport. State and federal funding agencies ask those questions when they receive requests for funding assistance.
Master plan updates are often done every 5-10 years. However, there is no legal requirement about how often master plans are undertaken. Instead, master plans are updated as needed to keep them relevant as a guide for development priorities.
The airport is operated by a six-member Airport Board consisting of the following: Mayor of the City of Pullman, Mayor of the City of Moscow, Appointed Representative- City of Pullman, Appointed Representative- City of Moscow, Washington State University, and a Representative At-Large (elected by the Airport Board). The airport is managed by an on-site airport manager appointed by the Airport Board. In addition, the airport employs a limited staff to support airport operations, maintenance, and emergency services.
Simply put, the runway design doesn’t match the needs of the airplanes that use it today. Horizon Air has replaced its 30-passenger planes with 72-passenger planes. This means that the FAA has different requirements for the airport design. The bigger planes need more space to take off, land and move around the airport. The FAA has given temporary permission for the larger planes to use the airport with the condition that improvements be made. But the permission is only temporary. In order to keep its airline service, the airport needs to be redesigned and reconstructed to meet the new FAA design standards.
The FAA is funding 95% of this Airport Master Plan (AMP) Study.
Running the airport is a full-time job for the staff at the Pullman Moscow Regional Airport (PMRA). An Airport Master Plan (AMP) is a study that takes lots of time and special expertise in lots of different areas. The consulting team offers the specialized diversity needed to get the project done.
There are lots of ways for you to be involved in the PMRA Master Plan Study:
Stay informed: Stay informed through this website. Sign up for the e-mail list, and you’ll hear about project newsletters, draft report text and meeting schedules as soon as they’re available. The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meetings are open to the public and notes are available on the website.
Share your ideas: Public comments are welcome at any time during the study. The Contact Us page offers a comment form as well as opportunities to email or call the project team directly. Later in the project, two sets of public input meetings will be held to gather ideas and answer questions.
Spread the word: Tell a friend, a neighbor, a coworker, a social group and anyone else you know about the project.
It will take approximately two years to complete the study. The study has been divided into six sets of tasks and each one will take approximately four months. At this time, the project is scheduled for completion in August, 2011. An equally important environmental study will be initiated about half-way through the master plan process.
General information about the project schedule is available on the Meetings page of this website. To receive project updates and keep up with the real time project schedule, sign up for the e-mail list on the Contact Us page.
The Airport Master Plan will be approved by the Pullman-Moscow Airport Board.
The FAA has a supportive and advisory role in the Master Plan Study throughout the project. FAA staff members attend TAC meetings and provide comments on draft plan chapters.
The FAA has two official jobs during the Master Plan study. First, the FAA reviews and approves the aeronautical forecasts (the projected growth of airport services) that are developed by the consulting team early in the project. Second, the FAA reviews and comments on the AMP and ALP to ensure that they comply with FAA standards and guidelines. If the AMP meets all of the FAA standards and guidelines, the FAA accepts it.
Yes. An environmental assessment is required before any construction can begin on a proposed airport project. Environmental assessments follow the NEPA process (National Environmental Policy Act of 1969). The NEPA process considers potential impacts to the natural and human environment of a proposed construction project and includes another opportunity for public review and comment.
Projects in an airport Master Plan are typically funded through a variety of existing aviation funding sources including the FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants, airport funds, and passenger facility charges. An Airport Master Plan includes a financial analysis and a funding plan for proposed improvements.
Cost increases are not anticipated at this time. Most of the money — at least 90% — will come from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The financial analysis performed during this project and included in the Master Plan will identify sources for the balance of the project costs.
Flight patterns will remain similar to what they are today, but they will shift slightly due to the new runway alignment. The new extended runway centerline will shift away from the downtown areas of both Pullman and Moscow, potentially reducing the number of overflights there.
Yes. Nearly the entire development can be accomplished within property currently owned by the airport. However, a limited amount of additional property next to the airport will need to be acquired to accommodate earthwork.
Some additional controls will be needed in other places impacted by the flight path. These include safety considerations and noise impacts. Depending on the specific circumstance, actions could include land purchase, aeronautical easements or zoning regulations. A chapter of the Master Plan will be devoted to this issue.
We anticipate that the project will help reduce weather cancellations and delays for business, commercial and private flights. The new runway’s orientation and planned improvements to the navigation systems will improve accessibility during inclement weather.
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