INTRODUCTION

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF), in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is expanding the Runway Safety Area (RSA) at the Petersburg James A. Johnson Airport (PSG).

The existing RSA at PSG is deficient in both length and width and does not meet current FAA design standards. The RSA improvements are scheduled to be constructed in several phases. The discussions below summarize the construction schedule and environmental permits and documentation of the project.

CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE

Petersburg Airport Runway Safety Area Improvments (Phase I): Phase 1 of these improvements will widen the RSA embankment on each side of the existing runway and replace the existing cross runway drainage culverts. Bids for the project were opened in June 2008 and the low bidder was Kiewit Pacific Company, of Anchorage with a bid of $19,775,000. This phase of improvements will begin construction in September 2008 with development of the project rock quarry and initial construction of the RSA embankment.

Replacement of the culverts will require about a four week-long runway closure. During this period arriving/departing passengers and air cargo for Petersburg will be routed to the Wrangell airport. Passengers and freight will be shuttled to/from Petersburg a by a bus and ferry link between the two airports. The runway closure is scheduled to begin March 23, 2009 and completed by April 22, 2009. Phase I is scheduled to be completed by October 31, 2009. Airport users will be informed of the runway closure plan by public service announcements, mailings, and Project Notices on this website.

Additional Runway Area Safety Improvements: Additional RSA improvements will be constructed in future construction phases as funding becomes available. These are expected to include additional embankment construction at the runway’s west end and runway paving.

ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTATION AND PERMITTING

Purpose and Need for the Project: The purpose of this project is to improve safety and meet FAA RSA design standards. FAA standards require PSG, based on current runway length and Airport Reference Code, to have an RSA that is 8,000 feet (ft) long and 500 ft wide, centered on the runway centerline. The existing RSA is only 6,400 ft long and 200 ft wide.

Environmental Documents: The project environmental documents include an Environmental Assessment (EA) and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) signed by the FAA on January 28, 2008. The EA considered a proposed Action and a No Action alternative to address the airport needs. Copies of the Final EA and FONSI are presented in the Documents folder of this website. A complete summary of the project scope, impacts, and environmental mitigation measures for the overall RSA project is presented in the EA document.

Project Updates: DOT&PF will be updating this website periodically to inform the Petersburg community and its visitors of the project status and provide more details about alternative transportation plans. If you have additional questions or need more information please visit the Contacts page for names, phone numbers, and email addresses of our project staff.

Project Notices