Friday, March 12, 2004
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Friday, March 12, 2004 |
| FAA opposes location of TDK Boulevard extension project By JOHN MUNFORD The Federal Aviation Administration is objecting to the plans for the extension of TDK Boulevard, which will link Peachtree City with Coweta County. The current location of the road “will degrade the runway 13 safety area,” FAA program manager Philip R. Cannon wrote in a letter to the Peachtree City Airport Authority this week. If the road was built, vehicles would “penetrate” runway 13 approach slopes and the 40:1 departure/takeoff slope at Falcon Field. The authority wants to meet with FAA representatives along with city and county officials working on TDK to determine what the next step is. Airport Authority chairwoman Cathy Nelmes noted the FAA’s letter didn’t suggest any solutions or remedies to the problem, and she wants to explore those possibilities at the meeting. “We feel confident the city and county won’t do anything to hurt the airport,” Nelmes said Wednesday night at the authority’s regular meeting. Authority members were concerned that the FAA’s determination would affect the chances of getting a precision landing system for the airport based on the approach and departure slope calculations. A precision approach system allows planes to use satellite-based and ground-based technology to land the plane on a straight path to the ground. Currently, planes must lower their altitude in phases, leveling off each time before reaching the ground. The precision landing system allows planes to land when lower cloud ceilings would prevent visual approach landings. Peachtree City spokesperson Betsy Tyler said city officials plan to participate in the meeting with the various agencies involved with the TDK Extension project, including the county’s engineering firm, URS. Nelmes said the letter from the FAA came rather quickly given their normal working guidelines. The road has been on the airport’s master plan for years, which has continuously been approved by the FAA. The FAA recently evaluated the proposed TDK Boulevard extension location when the authority sent the city’s request for an easement to the FAA for approval. The authority took no action to approve the easement for the city, which is needed for the road construction to begin. “Our position is I guess that we want to mitigate these impacts,” said authority member Matt Davis. Authority members are well aware of the local support the road has received from area governments and the general importance of having TDK extended into Coweta to provide an alternate route for employees commuting to Peachtree City’s industrial park. But they also want to proceed cautiously given the FAA’s concerns. “My position is we can’t do anything that will harm the airport,” Nelmes said, later adding that she realizes the importance of the TDK Extension. The next step, she said, “is to get everybody together and see how we’ll make this work.” The road’s current location is on a strip of land bordering Falcon Field and the Planterra Ridge Golf Course.
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