Contact: Nicole Hughes, 561-687-5912 nhughes@pbia.org
A draft Environmental Assessment for Runway Extension and Related Improvements at the North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport has been released for public comment. The Airport is a general aviation airport, located on 1,832 acres in north Palm Beach County, Florida, two miles west of the City of Palm Beach Gardens, and primarily serves recreational flights, flight instruction, business travel, emergency medical services and other non-commercial flight activity.
The proposed project includes extending Runway 14/32 1,700 feet to the northwest for a total length of 6,000 feet and increasing the width from 75 to 100 feet as well as related improvements, including construction of an Air Traffic Control Tower. The Airport currently accommodates small and mid-sized corporate jet traffic; however, the current runway length results in operational constraints for certain aircraft requiring reductions in fuel, payload, or number of passengers in certain environmental conditions. The primary purpose of the project is to eliminate the operational constraints to allow these aircraft to operate without restrictions.
Annual aircraft operations are expected to increase approximately 2.2% five years after the project is complete based on current aviation forecasts, which is approximately seven additional aircraft operations per day, or an average of 49 additional aircraft operations a week. The proposed project will not result in changes to aircraft traffic patterns or in scheduled commercial air service and is not anticipated to result in a significant change in noise levels.
“The proposed project is the result of many years of planning and an extensive evaluation of alternatives in coordination with outside agencies in an effort to minimize environmental impacts while meeting airport needs,” said Laura Beebe, Director of Airports for Palm Beach County. “We strongly encourage public participation and welcome comments as a part of this important project.”
Additional information about the proposed project, including how to submit public comments can be found at: https://www.pbia.org/general-aviation/north-palm-beach-county-airport/. The public comment period ends at 5:00 p.m. on May 21, 2024.