Airport to shift road over a bit due to safety

Pyott Road will be taking a turn as early as 2008.

The portion of the road that borders Lake in the Hills airport must be nudged slightly to the east and lowered by 12 feet in order to meet Federal Aviation Authority safety mandates for the airport.

How soon construction will start depends on acquisition of two segments of land totaling less than an acre at the east end of the runway.

"We've already completed the purchase of two larger parcels of land," Airport Manager Dave Gregoria said.

Gregoria expects the village will buy the final parcels soon. Bidding notices for the job probably will be posted in January, he said.

The project will cost $7 million to $8 million, Gregoria said.

Since 2005, the state has committed more than $7 million in block grant allotments to pay for the relocation project.

"Financing hasn't been a problem," he said.

Relocating Pyott road is the first of several FAA-mandated safety improvements to be made to the airport.

The next phase involves relocating and expanding the airport's runway, which will have an increased distance from the airport's taxiway, which must be moved farther away from the runway center. The distance from the center on the existing runway is just shy of 100 feet, but federal regulations require 240 feet.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Congressman Don Manzullo last month helped secure a $1.5 million FAA grant to help carry out the taxiway relocation, Gregoria said.

Yet to be secured is funding to expand the width of the airport runway.

Gregoria said he is "pretty optimistic" the village will receive funds for that work.