After a month long process to update the Aurora Airport Master Plan, that has included a Public Advisory Committee (PAC), ODA and its consultants finally released Draft of Chapter 5 “Airport Development Alternatives” for review and comment. The process has seemed backwards to many outside observers and some members of the PAC, given that defining airport expansion was among the goals, but nothing definitive was published until this draft document was released. It includes four alternatives for consideration, any one or a combination of which will be recommended by ODA staff to the State Aviation Board for approval.
- No build alternative – no expansion of the current runway, only maintenance
- Build Alternative 1 – expansion of the runway 600 feet to the north; all within current airport boundaries
- Build Alternative 2 – expansion of the runway 1000 feet to the south, closure of Kiel Road and extension of the runway safety zone south of the current airport boundary
- Build Alternative 3 – a “precision approach” alternative with no current runway lengthening, but expansion of runway safety zones in all directions beyond the current airport boundaries.