US-based engineering company HDR has been selected by the South Central Regional Airport Agency to plan and design a 581-acre regional airport in Iowa.
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration completed its review for the first phase of the project that involves an investment of $30m.
HDR will be responsible for real-estate acquisition, master planning, environmental documentation, the geographic information system and geotechnical engineering, as well as Federal Aviation Administration liaison services.
The contract scope also includes financial support and public outreach. All civil design for terminals, runways, hangars and other utilities is included.
HDR project manager Jerald Searle said: “The new airport is needed for local and itinerant corporate aircraft.
“The existing airport environs are such that neither airport can be expanded to accommodate aeronautical demand safely and efficiently.”
Instrument approach procedures will be developed at the new South Central Regional Airport, with the desired approach minimum as low as half a mile forward visibility and a 200ft decision height.
Airside features of the airport will include a full parallel taxiway system, crosswind runway, and aircraft-parking apron.
Alongside a terminal building, the airport will have the infrastructure for aviation services such as fuelling and maintenance, as well as hangars for aircraft storage.
After completion, it will replace two municipal airports. The new airport is expected to address growing aeronautical demand in the region.
Design and construction of the new facility will start once the land has been acquired. The site for the new airport will be between the cities of Oskaloosa and Pella and the land acquisition process is expected to take nearly two years.
The airport will have a 6,700ft primary runway, appropriate for category B and C aircraft operations.
