Location and Controversy
Because of the extreme geography of Southeastern Alaska, land flat enough for airport facilities is at a premium. One of these few areas is the current location of the airport: the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge, a vastly diverse and ecologically critical region rich with plant life, small mammals, birds, several species of salmon, even black bears and Bald Eagles. The original airstrip was built in the 1930s, and no environmental impact analysis was performed at that time. The area currently housing the terminal and runways had to be filled in and part of the Gastineau Channel had to be dredged before the airport, in its current incarnation, could be built.
The airport is the only way in and out of the city, with exception of the Alaska Marine Highway and cargo ships traversing the Inside Passage. In the past, concerns have been raised over the safety of the airport, which is comparatively quite small, with the amount of air traffic it receives. In addition to frequent arrivals and departures from hubs such as Anchorage and Seattle/Tacoma, the airport also has daily and/or weekly service to smaller regional communities, a floatplane runway/docking area, and a heliport. Three major construction projects are planned at the airport in the next few years. An airport terminal renovation project will be the first comprehensive upgrade to the passenger facilities in over twenty years and will provide for better flow through the passenger screening process. The airfield maintenance facilities project will provide much needed room for storage and servicing of snow removal equipment. The runway safety area project will extend the runway at both ends and improve taxiways to meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements.
Read more about this topic: Juneau International Airport
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