Alabama's Tuscaloosa National Airport (TCL) received approval from the city council in October for a $7 million construction contract to expand the runway to allow for bigger planes that will accommodate more passengers.

The Tuscaloosa Airport Advisory Committee, along with airport officials, are working on a plan to get commercial passenger air service back to Tuscaloosa. They hope the effort will let larger airlines create connection flights, to areas like Nashville and Atlanta, by bringing in smaller commuter planes, WVUA-TV in Tuscaloosa reported.

City Councilman Kip Tyner is excited about the project.

"We are always looking for ways to improve the airport," he told the TV station. "We have already put [in] a new terminal, new restrooms, [and] other amenities that show a major investment in improvements and now, extending the runway is huge."

American Eagle, a regional subsidiary of American Airlines, was the last commercial airline to operate in Tuscaloosa, but it stopped serving the airport in 1997.

Earlier Funding Also Secured for Project

Alabama Political Reporter noted that in late September, U.S. Representative Terri Sewell, D-7th District, announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) was awarding just over $1 million to the city to support the reconstruction and expansion of Tuscaloosa National's terminals.

Funding for this grant was made available by the American Rescue Plan, which Rep. Sewell was the only member of the Alabama Congressional Delegation to support.

"As the only member of the Alabama Delegation to vote in favor of the American Rescue Plan, I am thrilled to see our cities and towns benefiting from such critical investments," she said. "I applaud the [USDOT] for its investment in our infrastructure and continued partnership across all levels of government. With this grant, we're making important improvements to the Tuscaloosa National Airport and moving Tuscaloosa's economy forward."

This funding will pay for the reconstruction of the airport's 600-ft.-by-300-ft. terminal apron pavement connecting Taxiways A2 and G, along with an adjacent apron pavement area serving Tuscaloosa National's aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) facility.

Specifically, the funding will support the following:

• Reconstruction of 28,000 sq. yds. of existing pavement.
• Resurfacing of 2,700 sq. yds. of pavement.
• Associated pavement edge lighting and pavement markings, including approximately 4,080 cu. yds. of cement concrete pavement (CCP) material, nearly 8,500 tons of asphalt mix pavement (AMP) materials, and roughly 600 tons of cement to be used for subgrade and base stabilization.

Current Funding to Fulfill Airport's Master Plan

TCL is undergoing an update to its Airport Master Plan, a 20-year comprehensive vision for the airport that describes the short-, medium-, and long-term development plans necessary to meet the facility's expected demand.

The city has retained the services of Atkins North America Inc., an engineering firm, to help with the Airport Master Plan renovations, which have been under development since 2019 and are approaching their conclusion, according to the airport officials.

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