Improving the lighting system and taxiways are just a couple of projects a multi-million dollar grant will allow the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport to complete.
According to a letter from Airport Director Devon Brubaker addressed to the Sweetwater County Commission, the project will take about three years to complete and numerous items are on the list for improvements, including rehabilitating taxiway A, lowering sections of Taxiway A to meet Federal Aviation Administration design standards, extending Taxiways E and D, removing Taxiway B, rehabilitating taxiway lights, replacing incandescent lights with LEDs, replacing airfield lighting constant current regulators and controls, installing counterpoise wiring on Taxiway A, replacing 85 lighted airfield signs and moving and replacing the airport’s rotating beacon.
The roughly $5 million Airport Improvement Program Grant is from the FAA to complete this project. Brubaker said the FAA’s entitlement fund will cover $1 million, while the FAA’s discretionary fund will cover $4.075 million. The remainder of the project will be funded from WYDOT with $204,000 and local funds of $136,000. The total project cost is projected to be $5.43 million.
Brubaker said this is something the airport really needs because keeping the lights and beacons on takes a lot of work.
“I’ve had to put three fires out and order special wire regulators to keep them going,” Brubaker said about the lights.
As for the taxiway improvements, the FAA told the airport they had to fix the issues it discovered. It will take about 14,000 tons of asphalt to complete the taxiways and about 90,000 feet of cable to address the lighting issues.
“We’re happy to bring this money, especially federal, to the county,” Brubaker said.
He was proud to say most of the work will be done by local companies so the money will stay in the county.
“This is the second time since 2016 where the airport has received highly competitive and sought-after discretionary funding,” Brubaker said.
This project will be the airport’s third largest project in its 77-year history.
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