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NORTHERN REGION
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St. Mary’s Airport Improvements
Project Number: Z605630000

Current Status

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (the Department) in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing to upgrade existing aviation facilities under the Saint Mary’s Airport Improvements project (Figure 1). The purpose of the proposed project is to improve safety at Saint Mary’s Airport by upgrading existing aviation facilities to meet current FAA standards for the De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 and Cessna 208 Caravan, the design aircraft for Runway 17/35 and Runway 6/24, respectively. Saint Mary’s and the surrounding communities served by the airport are not connected to the Alaska State Highway System. Freight is barged to Saint Mary’s in the summer months or flown into the airport year-round. The continued safe operation of Saint Mary’s Airport is critical; the airport is a hub for residents, visitors, bypass mail, freight, medical emergencies/needs, and commercial fishing shipping.

The primary north/south runway (17/35) does not currently meet the FAA 600-foot runway safety area (RSA) standard beyond each runway end and the runway surface has degraded over time. The cross-wind runway (6/24) does not currently meet the FAA standard safety area width of 150 feet and the runway surface has degraded over time. All runway and taxiway lighting components and most navigational aids are more than 24 years old and at the end of their useful life. There are existing embankment drainage issues in many locations and water is present in the surface and subsurface of many runway, taxiway, and apron areas. Drainage ditches around the airport facilities would need to be shifted based on the proposed changes in airport layout Taxiway A and B and the transient and main aprons also have degraded surfaces.

Five potential material sources are currently being investigated for use by this project:

  • One existing, un-permitted material site in Pitka’s Point which will not require expansion. Material would be hauled on existing roads.
  • One existing, un-permitted material site in Mountain Village which will not require expansion. Material would be hauled on existing roads.
  • One existing permitted (commercial) material site in Saint Mary’s. Material would be hauled on existing roads.
  • One existing, permitted (commercial) material site in Nome. Material would be barged in.
  • A future material site in Marshall that is currently under development, which would be permitted by Calista as a commercial source, may be developed in time to serve the project. The Marshall site would include a barge landing, from which material would be barged.

Material imported via barge on the Yukon River would require development of a temporary barge landing to allow material to be transported up the Yukon River Access Road, approximately 1.3 miles to the airport. Use of these options may require replacement of a culvert on the Yukon River Access Road. The temporary barge landing would require fill and placement of piles in the Yukon River.

Draft Environmental Assessment

Because improvements to Saint Mary’s Airport would require FAA Alaskan Airports Division approval and federal funding of the Proposed Action (a federal nexus as defined under the National Environmental Policy Act [NEPA]), an Environmental Assessment (EA) was prepared to evaluate the environmental effects of the Proposed Project. The EA evaluates an action and no-action alternative relative to the social, economic, and environmental effects.

A virtual public meeting will be held to solicit input on the Draft Environmental Assessment the alternatives to the community. The comment period ends November 24, 2021.

Current Documents

Project Schedule

Draft EA October 18, 2021
Public Meeting November 22, 2021
Draft EA Comments Due           November 24, 2021
Final EA and FONSI January 2022
Construction Summer 2022-2024

Project History

The Department, in cooperation with the FAA, completed a Draft Runway Safety Area (RSA) Practicability Study in 2018 to identify RSA improvement alternatives for Runway 17-35. The Department used the results of this study as the basis for the current proposed action for improvements. Three preliminary RSA improvement alternatives were evaluated in the study:

  • Displace Runway 17-35 Thresholds (using Declared Distances) to shorten available runway landing length but maximize take-off length.
  • Extend existing Runway 17-35 embankment 822 feet to the north and shift existing runway thresholds north to provide standard 600-foot RSA length beyond each runway end.
  • A combination of extending Runway 17-35 embankment to the north, relocating thresholds, and using declared distances.

Additional alternatives such as installing an engineered materials arrestor system (EMAS), constructing of standard RSAs beyond the existing thresholds, and others were also considered in the RSA Practicability Study. Each alternative was analyzed for engineering practicability and financial feasibility.

Past Documents

Previous Public Involvement

Public Meeting (Environmental Scoping meeting), June 3, 2021 virtual online meeting.

  • See Appendix F: Summary of Consultation and Coordination for meeting documents.

Public Meeting, March 26, 2019, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s City Hall

Public Meeting April 2018