PHOENIX — Sky Harbor International Airport is planning upgrades to its runway space with a new taxiway overpass backed by federal funds from the bipartisan infrastructure law enacted last year.
The project is funded in part through the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Joe Biden signed in November, which will allocate $194 million to these improvements at Sky Harbor, one of the busiest airports in the country.
The project has an estimated price tag of $260 million. The rest will be paid by Passenger Facilities Charges, which are $4.50 fees from ticket purchases that Sky Harbor collects from every eligible passenger who goes through the airport. Work is expected to begin next year; a completion timetable has not been released.
The 2,000-foot-long taxiway will pass over roads between terminals and connect the north and south airfields, which are bisected by airport roads and terminals. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said the goal of the overpass is to allow traffic on runways to flow more smoothly so planes don’t get stuck on the tarmac. She also said the increased tarmac space will help the airport adapt more easily to inclement weather.
“Your planes are likely to take off more quickly, and you’ll spend less time on the tarmac both landing and taking off,” she said in a news conference Tuesday at the airport. “Having a bigger, better tarmac will allow us to adapt and have more ability to keep planes flying.”
Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., said the airport’s location 5 miles from downtown Phoenix is its biggest plus, but it also makes expansion difficult.
“One of the very best qualities and most significant competitive advantages of Sky Harbor is that it’s right at the very center of our region right next to downtown, but that also means that land is a little bit scarce,” he said at the news conference. “Instead of growing larger, we have to grow smarter.”
