Taxiway project phase estimated cost $12 million

LITTLE ROCK — The first phase of an estimated $60 million project to reconfigure the taxiway system at the city’s airport to make it safer and conform with modern standards will cost at least $12 million.

Even the first phase of the project “Taxiway Charlie Phase I” has been designed with stages allowing the cost of the full project to grow to $21 million if additional federal aid becomes available to Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, airport officials said Tuesday.

“We’re going to end up with a safer taxiway and runway system after all this,” said Bryan Malinowski, the airport’s executive director.

The centerpiece of the project is moving and extending Taxiway Charlie, which generally runs parallel to Runway 4L-22R, which is one of the two main commercial service runways.

Moving Taxiway Charlie allows the airport to eliminate several nonstandard taxiway-runway intersections, which are high-speed taxiways angled to allow arriving aircraft to quickly exit the runway to make way for other arrivals.

Federal Aviation Administration regulations require those intersections to be perpendicular, much like a standard vehicle intersection, for safety.

The work also includes moving utilities, airfield lighting, and drainage and sign improvements. New signs will be provided to designate the name change for the taxiway north of Taxiway Papa from Taxiway Charlie to Taxiway November, according to airport documents.

Tom Clarke, the airport’s deputy executive director, said at the request of the FAA, the airport prepared additional stages to Phase I in case more money becomes available.