Addison Accepts $8 Million Airport Improvement Grant from TxDOT

At its July 13 meeting, the City Council authorized the acceptance of an Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant offer from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in the amount of $8,060,300 for the design and first construction phase for extensions of Taxiway Bravo on the west side of the airport.

Addison Airport has a single runway served by a full-length parallel taxiway (Taxiway Alpha) east of the runway and a partial parallel taxiway (Taxiway Bravo) west of the runway. The proposed partial extension of Taxiway Bravo to the north was contemplated in the 2016 Addison Airport Master Plan and is included in TxDOT's current Aviation Capital Improvement Program. The extension of this taxiway will provide runway and taxiway access to a 4.2-acre parcel of land on the west side of the airport and facilitate aeronautical development of that land. Taxiway Bravo will also be extended at its south end (where it presently terminates at Taxiway Charlie) to join with the south end of the runway. These improvements will allow for additional development on the southern end of the airport. The proposed project also includes the construction of a vehicle service road west of Taxiway Bravo, which would enable ground vehicles to traverse the west side of the airport without the need to obtain clearance from the Air Traffic Control Tower to use Taxiway Bravo (which is presently the only option).

At this time, there are three phases expected with this project. Phase one includes the construction of the Taxiway Bravo extensions and associated improvements, phase two is an extension of Taxiway Bravo to the north end of the runway, and phase three covers the reconstruction and relocation of the existing portion of Taxiway Bravo which will accommodate larger airplanes. 

The design phase of the taxiway extension and associated scope elements is estimated to cost $805,000 and the Town is required to commit 10% of the estimated design cost, or $80,500, which is the amount that was budgeted. Funding for phase one is planned for Fiscal Year 2022 and will be included in the proposed budget for the Airport Capital Projects Fund.

The first construction phase of the Taxiway Bravo extensions and associated improvements is estimated to cost $7,255,300. The Town will be required to commit matching funds for this project estimated to total $1,414,770 which includes a 10% matching share of $553,220 for the taxiway improvements and a 50% matching share of $861,550 for construction of the west vehicle service road. The 50% matching share for the service road is a TxDOT requirement, not a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirement. Under FAA standards, the road is eligible for a 90% grant share, especially since it is a safety enhancement. After the design phase of the project is complete, staff will work with TxDOT to reduce the grant share from 50/50 to 90/10. If negotiations are not successful, the Town will reevaluate the vehicle access road.