Boca Raton Airport Lights the Way to Improve Runway Safety

The Boca Raton Airport’s (BCT) enduring commitment to ensuring the highest standards of safety, efficiency, and environmental responsibility continues with the completion of the airfield lighting and signage upgrades with state-of-the-art LED technology.

BCT contracted with Hypower, LLC for the Airfield Lighting and Signage Upgrade project. The project worth approximately $2.5 million consisted of the replacement of all runway edge lighting and cabling, the replacement of airfield directional signage, and the replacement of constant current regulators for the electrical vault.

The project meets the current design standards of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and provides necessary improvements that enhance airport safety and help create a better experience for pilots and travelers. The upgrades included 287 airfield lighting components and 114 airfield signage improvements.

The new LED fixtures are known for their longevity and energy efficiency, leading to significantly lower life cycle costs. Furthermore, LED technology improves visibility, reducing the risk of runway incursions and the LED signs are significantly less likely to go dark due to lamp burnout. These changes translate to reduced airfield congestion and contribute to overall safety and efficiency, and significantly reduce energy costs and the impact to the environment.

“The result of these lighting upgrades will be a safer and more efficient airport,” said Boca Raton Airport Authority Executive Director Clara Bennett.

Additionally, some of the old lighting and signage were donated to West Boca High School for their aviation program where the students used the old lighting to build a mockup of a runway in the school courtyard.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.