Leaders Kick Off $22 Million Runway Extension Project at Tuscaloosa National Airport
City leaders visited the Tuscaloosa National Airport on Wednesday morning to break ground on a mostly federally funded $22 million project to extend the runway there.
Contractors will pour thousands of truckloads of dirt to raise the vacant but too-low land beyond the end of the existing runway, level it and add 1,100 feet of new asphalt, extending the runway to 7,600 feet.
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, District 1 City Councilman Joe Eatmon and Airport Director Jeff Powell were on site to celebrate the beginning of the work.
"I believe that this airport can be an economic development generator, not just for the city of Tuscaloosa, but the city of Northport, Tuscaloosa County, and all of West Alabama," Maddox told a small crowd gathered on a windy Wednesday morning. "The city council's commitment to this project, to the terminal, and to other projects shows that this city is committed to creating new and higher-paying jobs. Not just for us here, but for our children and grandchildren."
Maddox acknowledged the sticker shock of a $22 million project to add less than a quarter-mile of runway to the airport, but 95 percent of the project's cost is federally funded through the FAA.
The state of Alabama will make a 2.5 percent match, and the city will provide the other 2.5 percent - obligations of about $550,000 each.
Eatmon represents a large swath of west Tuscaloosa, but District 1 also includes the city's land on and around the airport.
"This isn't just the airport. This is an opportunity for economic development, not only for my district but the city of Tuscaloosa as a whole. And this is just the beginning. We'll always support the airport," Eatmon said Wednesday.
Both men credited airport director Jeff Powell for his leadership and vision for expanding and improving the facility over the years.
"Jeff Powell has stood in the gap at times where the city should have had more interest and more investment, and continues to be that voice to say we can do better for Tuscaloosa National Airport," Maddox said. " Today, Councilman Eatmon and I, and other city council members, city team members, we will take credit for what happens here. But truth be known, without Jeff Powell, none of this comes together."
"The need for this runway extension has been identified time and time again, going back more than 40 years," Powell said. "This is an investment in infrastructure, an investment in safety, an investment in jobs. It's an investment not just into Tuscaloosa, but into this entire region."
The ambitious project kicks off today and is expected to be completed in July 2027. In addition to extending Runway 4-22, crews will add lighting and electrical upgrades to enhance safety and accommodate both current large-aircraft operations and projected future growth.
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