Craven County has been awarded just over $1 million in grant funding for the development of commercial aerospace at Coastal Carolina Regional Airport (EWN).
The North Carolina Department of Commerce awarded Craven County $1,077,694 to construct a road to the airport’s Corporate Aerospace Development Area. A public hearing was held during the board of commissioners Sept. 5 meeting to receive comments on the grant. No one spoke during the hearing.
In June, the Craven County Board of Commissioners authorized the county’s economic development department to apply for a NC Department of Commerce grant to build out the commercial aerospace development area of the airport, which totals 115 acres that is owned by Craven County.
According to Economic Development Director Jeff Wood, the grant will open approximately 90 acres of property along the runway that has been set aside in the airport’s 20-year plan to be utilized for aeronautical and aerospace based economic development, which has become a target industry for Craven County, Wood said.
Wood has estimated the total cost to develop the property for use will be $27,985,100, which in addition to costs for infrastructure such as roads also includes clearing and preparing the land. Earlier this year, EWN received a Golden LEAF grant for $753,700 to extend water and sewer infrastructure in the development area and has also received $359,231 in county funding.
According to information provided with the project overview, the extension of water, roads and sewer to the site will begin in November 2023 and will be completed within one year of the start date.
“This investment will provide much needed industrial space, green space for development and assist the county in product to be utilized by one of its target industries, aerospace,” the overview notes.
Also during the Sept. 5 meeting, the board approved a request from Airport Director Andrew Shorter authorizing the application for EWN’s FY2023 Airport Improvement Program in the amount of $4,866,211. Shorter said the funds would go towards the airport’s ongoing commercial terminal expansion project and an air traffic control tower siting study.
This grant figure is derived from EWN’s annual FAA entitlement funding formula and an additional $3.4 million discretionary allocation for FY23.
The news comes almost two months after Shorter announced EWN had received a $5 million Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Airport Terminal Program grant for its terminal expansion project, which is expected to cost $26.9 million in total.
The grant covers the construction of the terminal hold room and the passenger boarding bridges for gates one and three.
According to Shorter, the new terminal construction is expected to be completed by next May, with a ribbon cutting to follow.
In July, the airport began offering six daily American Airlines flight options connecting through Charlotte to destinations around the world. The new flights came in addition to the EWN’s direct weekly summer service to and from Washington D.C. that began on June 3.
Runway expansion
Another major project in the works for EWN is the expansion of its runway to 6,800 feet. The move will allow for larger aircraft to fly in and out of the airport.
“We don’t want to in any way limit the options for airlines considering Coastal Carolina,” Shorter said.
The Department of Transportation is currently in the process of conducting an environmental assessment for the relocation of a portion of Williams Road to allow for the longer runway, Shorter confirmed.
Shorter said the DOT’s environmental assessment was set to be completed by April 2024 and the roadwork at some point during the following year. He said he expected the construction phase of the runway expansion to begin in 2026.
“Ultimately we’re looking at it as a full runway improvement project even though putting down more asphalt is just a small part of that improvement,” Shorter noted.
Williams Road, which currently runs across Scott’s Creek, will arc around close to the railroad tracks when the realignment is finished, Shorter said.
While he estimated it would be in the $8 million to $9 million range, Shorter said he was unsure what the final dollar figure would be for the runway expansion.
“We have some pie in the sky numbers but that’s all they are right now with the way construction costs and things are changing,” he commented. “The first big thing is going to be getting the road moved and then see where we are with the runway and see how much that actually costs.”
By Todd Wetherington, co-editor. Send an email with questions or comments.