Improvements at the Pierre Regional Airport will continue next year.
The Pierre City Commission awarded a $200,000 contract to build an additional 40 parking spots. The project, originally planned for 2020, was put on hold because of the pandemic, but will ramp back up in 2021.
City Engineer John Childs says they fully anticipate a traffic rebound at Pierre’s airport once the pandemic is controlled. He says they had a shortage of parking before COVID hit; this investment should alleviate that problem and improve the passenger experience.
The new parking spots will be located northwest of the terminal, adjacent to the existing passenger parking lot.
Earlier this month, a contractor completed work to rebuild the taxiways to align with new Federal Aviation Administration requirements. To accomplish this, about 27,000 cubic yards of dirt had to be moved impacting about 4,500 square feet of the airfield.
Childs says although impact to the traveling public was minimal, it was a sizable project. He says he’s pleased the work is wrapped up and the area shouldn’t require any major attention for many years. A federal grant paid for 90% of the $3.9 million project. The remainder of the project cost is split between the State of South Dakota and the City of Pierre.
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