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CHARLOTTE,
N.C. � U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) Deputy Administrator Michael G. Whitaker broke ground
today for a new 370-foot-tall air traffic control tower and radar approach
control at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). �The new tower will enable air traffic
controllers to continue to provide the safest, most efficient service to
flights at the nation�s fifth busiest tower.
�
�This
investment in our aviation infrastructure will position us to handle the future
growth that we forecast for Charlotte,� said Secretary Foxx. ��This new air traffic control facility will
help us serve travelers at one of our busiest airline hubs for decades to
come.�
�
�The
FAA is committed to modernizing our air traffic control system,� said Deputy
Administrator Whitaker, who also is the FAA�s Chief NextGen Officer.� �Investing in NextGen will make air travel
more efficient, dependable, and even safer.�
�
The
new air traffic control tower will be equipped with state-of-the-art Next
Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen, technology including Standard
Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS), Data Communications, Automatic
Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), and Advanced Electronic Flight Strip
System (AEFS).� Charlotte also is the test
site for Airspace Technology Demonstration (ATD-2).
�
The
850-square-foot tower cab has enough room to accommodate additional future air
traffic control positions.� The 42,000-square-foot base building will
house an expanded terminal radar approach control (TRACON), with space for
future growth. �Training rooms,
administrative offices, and a power distribution supply system will also be in
the base building, along with the latest aviation security and air traffic
simulation capabilities.
�
In
addition, the new 370-foot-tall tower at CLT will provide air traffic
controllers with a bird�s-eye view of the airfield, and will accommodate
current operations and future growth.� The
new Charlotte tower will be the second tallest tower in the National Airspace
System after the 398-foot-tall tower at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta
International Airport. The existing tower was commissioned in 1979.� The
facility�s operational growth, new air traffic control technology, and the
airport�s addition of new runways and taxiways made the height and size of the
old tower obsolete.
�
Charlotte
Tower controllers handled about 225,000 takeoffs and landings from January 1 to
May 31, 2016, making it the fifth busiest tower in the country. �In 2015, CLT was the sixth busiest tower, when
controllers handled 544,000 takeoffs and landings. �TRACON controllers handled 572,330 instrument
operations (overflights) in 2015, making it the 13th busiest radar
approach control. �Traffic at CLT is
forecast to grow to 748,000 by 2040.
�
CLT
also handles significant quantities of air cargo and was recently included in
the Department�s designation of the Interim National Multimodal Freight Network
as one of the top airports for freight movement in the country.� Please see https://www.transportation.gov/freight/InterimNMFN for more
information on the designation of the Interim National Multimodal Freight
Network.
�
A
total of 179 FAA employees work at Charlotte Tower and TRACON � 136 in Air
Traffic and 43 in Technical Operations. �Technical
Operations employees install and maintain air traffic control equipment.
�
The
FAA awarded a $60 million contract to build the new facility in January 2016 to
Archer Western Construction. �Equipment,
installation and training costs, and demolition of the old tower bring the
total project cost to $112 million.
�
Construction
of the tower and TRACON base building is expected to be complete in 2018, and
the facility will be fully operational in 2020.�
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