Amid “a boom in international cargo deliveries,” Rickenbacker International Airport will soon see its first master plan update in 20 years, Columbus Business First reports. The Columbus Regional Airport Authority “expects to award a $1.63 million contract to Michael Baker International Inc. for a master plan and airport layout plan update” for Rickenbacker. David Whitaker, vice president of business development for the authority, said, “[t]he purpose of a master plan is to understand what (traffic levels) mean for facilities and infrastructure. It will take a look at our existing facilities . . . talk about their condition, their suitability to accommodate future growth. The master plan looks out 20 years.” Rickenbacker’s last master plan update was in 1998; the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suggested this update as the facility “experiences a surge of cargo activity, growing to 90,000 metric tons last year from about 78,000 a year earlier and 70,000 in 2013.” In 2014, Columbus airport officials “introduced an ambitious capital improvement program calling for $91 million in upgrades to infrastructure and facilities around Rickenbacker"; Franklin County officials “suggested the mostly cargo airport needed a stronger game plan with new funding partners coming to the table.” For more, read the full article.
Rickenbacker to get first master plan update in 20 years
