By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG – A $25 million airport expansion will break ground next month with 177-passenger flights set to be available by November 2016, according to Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority Executive Director Wade A. Davis.

On Friday the Federal Aviation Administration approved $7.6 million in funding. Davis says he couldn’t be happier with announce as it allows the OBPA to move the project forward.

“This is an extraordinary amount of funding. Of the $59 million pool of funding for the region, which is larger than New York State, Ogdensburg is getting $7.6,” he said.

Davis said federal funding is typically issued in phases and expects additional money ton come from the FAA. However, the OBPA will not be waiting for the cash. He said the OBPA has already sent out RFP and will be financing the project.

“This is going to happen. We are going to proceed with whole project,” he said.

The airport expansion plan is ambitious. It calls for a 1,200-foot expansion of the airport’s runway and involves moving a portion of Route 68.

Davis said the OBPA is tackling a 10-year project in a two-year timeline.

Davis said the project is a prime example of the public and private sector working together for the betterment of the community.

Davis says the $20 million OGS runway expansion project will create construction jobs and provide inexpensive airfares for North Country residents through air infrastructure investments. He says the runway expansion will bring also 38,000 new Canadian tourists and their resources into the North County.

In 2014, the OBPA reached an agreement with Allegiant Air, a Low Cost Carrier (LCC), to provide LCC services at OGS commencing November 2016, contingent upon the OGS airport expansion.

Allegiant has agreed to contribute up to $1 million towards the terminal expansion and the OBPA has already contributed nearly $1.7 million to accelerating the airport expansion process to meet Allegiant’s schedule.

The expansion includes all the infrastructure improvements to accommodate the operational requirements of Allegiant Air, a 177-passenger Airbus 320 aircraft and the LCC forecast demand while complying with current Federal Aviation Administration on (FAA) and NYSDOT standards.

This includes a 1,200-foot extension of Runway 27, taxiway widening and extension, runway approach lighting improvements, relocation of a section of NYS Route 68 to accommodate the runway extension, and obstruction removal. Additional improvements to OGS include a 4,000SF terminal addition on to accommodate LCC operations and the addition of a 423-space parking area.