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A Safer Airport: Master Plan Summary

Please Note: The September 1997 Master Plan document does not agree with the Airport Layout Plan (ALP) submitted and conditionally approved by the FAA and the NJDOT. The Master Plan improvements were scaled back when preparing the ALP. The ALP has only two phases, I and II. Phase I is a runway length of 4,300 feet and Phase II is a runway length of 4,890 feet. Phase II can only be completed following another update of the Master Plan and revalidation of the demand forecasts it contains.

A master plan has been developed for the 60-year-old Solberg Airport to help airport owners and regulators at the state and federal levels identify possible improvements to increase the safety and utility of the facility. It provides a prioritized list so that decision makers can make informed judgments about potential impacts and funding of these projects.

Airport development initiatives in the proposed plan are prioritized to: enhance the safety of operations; provide the type of airport and services required to meet the needs of the type of aircraft that now or will use the facility; and achieve the greatest compatibility between the airport and the environment it shares with neighbors and surrounding communities.

The master plan envisions a series of projects that will improve virtually all aspects of the airport operation as well as its compatibility in the community. These projects will enhance the safety and lower the sound levels of aircraft departures while increasing the safety and efficiency of all aircraft operations. They include improved runways and taxiways, the reconstruction and paving of the apron area, new and improved hangar space and tie-down areas, better weather information and navigational aids. It also suggests ways to improve automobile parking and better utilization of airport property.

Specific highlights of the plan include:

• Paving the remaining 735' of the existing Runway 4-22 to its current length of 3,735'
• Reconstructing the terminal apron and taxiway
• Installing an automated weather observation and reporting system
• Paving the existing Runway 13-31 to a length of 3,700' and adding a full-length parallel taxiway
• Removing obstructions, improving lighting systems, paving tie-down areas for aircraft, building new "T-hangars" and installing fencing to limit wildlife access and pedestrian traffic
• And, perhaps the most publicized aspect of the master plan, paving the existing turf landing area set aside for glider operations, to an initial length of 4,300' (that's just a 15% increase over the current 3735' Runway 4-22)
• Prior to any design or construction, the master plan requires an environmental assessment to be completed to determine the full nature and extent of all impacts of the proposal. If these impacts can be eliminated or reduced to insignificance and if regulators give their approvals, then the glider area would be lengthened and paved and the existing Runway 4-22 would be closed and converted to a taxiway. No further additions to this new Runway 3-21 would be considered unless and until a new updated master plan is completed and approved by regulators demonstrating that demand meets or exceeds the projections found in the current master plan. Only then would an addition of 590' be proposed and evaluated through a formal public process.

The costs for the projects, divided into three phases, are funded by the federal and state governments and the airport owners. FAA funding to maintain or improve airports comes from aviation user fees paid into the aviation trust fund-people who buy airline tickets and general aviation pilots who purchase fuel. New Jersey funding is from the Transportation Trust Fund and a state tax on general aviation fuel.

The first phase of improvements at Solberg is expected to cost about $15.6 million. This accounts for engineering costs, site preparation and construction, including that of Runway 3-21. Solberg Airport's share is over $2 million. The federal share is less than $13 million. And the state share is about $700,000. Should Phase II move forward several years from now, the FAA forecasts its share of the $3.2 million project to be $2.4 million, the state's is $132,500 and the airport's is $662,500. A final phase, consisting of additional T-hangars and tie-downs is projected to be $2.67 million. The FAA will contribute $477,000, the state $26,500 and the airport contributes the remaining $2.16 million.

All totaled, the estimated cost of all phases of the project, should they move forward, is $21.5 million, of which the airport pays nearly $5 million, the state contributes about $875,000 and the FAA's airport improvement program contributes $15.8 million.

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If you are interested in joining PARTNERS @ Solberg or are interested in helping us educate and inform area residents about the benefits of general aviation, please contact us for information about joining our group that is dedicated to finding effective reasonable solutions!

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