The Sacramento County Department of Airports has announced\nthe U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)\nwill provide funding for the Sacramento International Airport\u2019s (SMF) control\ntower replacement project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tower\u2019s replacement will be funded through the FAA\u2019s $5\nbillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds also known as the\nInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which was signed into law by\nPresident Biden on November 15, 2021. The law authorizes $1.2 trillion for\ntransportation and infrastructure spending with $550 billion of that figure\ngoing toward “new” investments and programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FAA has started investing the first $1 billion of $5\nbillion into the country\u2019s air traffic control system. The funding will\nsustain, repair, or replace hundreds of buildings and pieces of equipment that\nmake flying in the United States the safest in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are thrilled, and greatly appreciate the support we\u2019ve\nreceived from everyone involved in this effort,\u201d said Cindy Nichol, Sacramento\nCounty Department of Airports Director. \u201cThis new state-of-the-art tower will\nbe a significant upgrade to the current facility that will enhance working\nconditions for air traffic controllers at SMF and ensure the continued safe and\nefficient management of aircraft operations at the Airport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday\u2019s announcement has taken over a decade of dedication\nand collaboration \u2013 and I am proud that we have secured this funding to build\nour new air traffic control tower at SMF,\u201d said Congresswoman Doris Matsui.\n\u201cFrom the initial planning and design all the way to today\u2019s announcement, I\nhave fought to ensure that decision makers at the highest levels understood the\nimportance of getting this project to the finish line. Cindy and her team are\nalways looking at new ways to improve the travel experience and safety of our\nairport. That\u2019s why I have been such a strong, long-time advocate for robust\nfederal investments in their work. This new tower will continue to build on\nthat progress and ensure our airport remains the gold standard for the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Congresswoman Matsui is a champion of the Sacramento County\nAirport System and has long advocated for a new SMF tower \u2013 dating back to\n2006. She has made numerous requests to secure funding through the annual\nfederal budget, repeatedly urging senior FAA officials to take action and\nmaking personal appeals to three different Department of Transportation\nsecretaries. Her unrelenting advocacy has been critical to securing funding for\na new tower. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The current tower at SMF is owned and operated by the\nFAA. It was built in 1967, is 130 feet\nin height, and is located just south of Terminal B at the Airport. Given that tower is one of the oldest towers\nin the country, the FAA is prioritizing replacing it with a new, 192-foot tower\nin a new location on the north side of the Airport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new tower will be 100 percent funded with BIL funds,\nwhich are fully appropriated. The expected timeframe to complete construction\nis 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“As we invest in the future of our nation’s\ninfrastructure, it is crucial that we prioritize the safety and efficiency of\nour airports,\u201d said Representative Ami Bera. \u201cThe building of a new air traffic\ncontrol tower at Sacramento International Airport is a significant step towards\nmodernizing our aviation infrastructure and ensuring a seamless and secure\ntravel experience for all passengers. This investment not only enhances the\nsafety measures at SMF but also creates job opportunities and strengthens our\nregional economy. I\u2019m proud to help secure this critical funding through the\nBipartisan Infrastructure Law which will support a safe and resilient\ntransportation system for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new tower will be constructed at a site located on the\nnorth side of the Airport. It will stand 192-feet in height and the current\ncost estimate is between $60 to $80 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSMF remains a point of pride for Sacramento County, and\nwith the recent news of available FAA funding for a new control tower, we can\nexpect that our international airport will continue as the best of its size\nanywhere in the nation\u201d said Supervisor Phil Serna whose district includes SMF.\nHe continued by emphasizing that \u201csafety and convenience at SMF are our top\npriorities, and a new state-of-the-art air traffic control tower will further\nenhance our ability to maximize both for the traveling public.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sacramento County Department of Airports is responsible\nfor planning, developing, operating and maintaining the county\u2019s four airports:\nSacramento International Airport, Executive Airport, Mather Airport and\nFranklin Field. Sacramento International Airport offers more than 155 daily\nnonstop flights on 12 domestic and international carriers to 36 destinations.\nThe regional economic impact of the Sacramento County Department of Airports is\nmore than $4 billion annually. For more information, visit sacramento.aero.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sacramento County Department of Airports has announced the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will provide funding for the Sacramento International Airport\u2019s (SMF) control tower replacement project. The tower\u2019s replacement will be funded through the FAA\u2019s $5 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-california"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25890"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25891,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25890\/revisions\/25891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}