BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG — A new lighting system will make Ogdensburg’s airport more attractive to airlines and improve safety in inclement weather, according to Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority Executive Director Steve Lawrence.

“It’s not required but it’s a good thing to have. It’s something that airlines are always looking for in terms of safety,” he said.

The $1.4 million project is funded through a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The system is known as “medium intensity approach lighting” or MALF.

Lawrence said he expects the project to wrap up in September.

The installation is being done by Baseline King Corp, Barnevald and McFarland Johnson, Binghamton.

Lawrence said the airport has been impacted by the pandemic but he expects it will be sometime before things reach 2019 numbers.

“It will be slow returning,” he said.

The OBPA has invested significant money in recent years to improve the Ogdensburg airport. A massive project allowed for a runway expansion allowing 50 passenger planes to land and opened up direct flights to Washington D.C.