It’s springtime in Illinois: Flowers are blooming, crops are sprouting and construction zones are popping up everywhere – including Willard Airport in Savoy.
In early May, the airport began a $3.1 million project to resurface the ramp on the south side of the terminal where airplanes load and unload passengers. According to Steve Wanzek, airport manager, the joints in the ramp have started to deteriorate, and, as a result the top layer of concrete must be stripped off and replaced.
Although a variety of refurbishments have been made inside the terminal – including renovating the café and adding escalators – since it was built in 1989, this is the first time the ramp will be renovated.
The majority of the work is being funded by a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, with the state of Illinois and Willard Airport each paying 2.5 percent of the costs.
Wanzek said the ramp renovations will not affect service, as planes will use different gates while the construction is under way.
This summer, the entrance drive to the airport from U.S. Route 45 and the airport parking lot are being resurfaced as well.
“The road will always be open; we’ll do it one half at a time,” Wanzek said. “We’ll do the left side and keep the right open, and vice versa, and there will always be entrances open to the parking lot.”
The $1.4 million project is being funded by the state and by airport revenues.
Several other projects at Willard also are in the planning or design stages, including plans to replace the revolving doors at the terminal entrance. Passengers who have struggled to get into the terminal carrying bulky baggage or multiple bags will be glad to know that the airport plans to replace the current 8-foot doors with wider, 14-foot doors.
Wanzek said that the project, which is being funded by the $4.50 facility charge paid by airline passengers, is in the design stage and will be sent out for bids soon, then presented to the UI Board of Trustees for approval, possibly at the board’s July meeting. Although Wanzek had hoped the project could be timed to coincide with the ramp refurbishments, it’s likely that it will be slated for summer 2007, pending approval of the board of trustees.
Airport officials also are looking at replacing two of the three bridges that passengers use to board and disembark. One of the bridges is too short to reach down to regional jets, which sit lower to the ground than larger jets and carry 50 passengers or less.
The current bridges, which are about 20 years old, were designed for larger aircraft and installed in anticipation of a travel boon that went bust after the federal government closed Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul in 1993 and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, left some people wary of air travel, at least for a while.
“There were some people saying that by this time we’d have 750,000 enplanements a year at Willard, but then Chanute closed and then 9/ll happened,” Wanzek said. “Instead of 750,000 passengers, we’ll be hard pressed to reach 250,000 passengers.”
During 2005, Willard Airport served about 130,000 passengers, up from about 99,000 passengers the prior year.
During 2007, the airport will refurbish the ramp used by the Institute of Aviation. In 2003, a security fence was installed near the institute and the parking space for the institute’s aircraft was expanded. The asphalt parking area will be resurfaced with stronger material so that pilots will be able to taxi planes into the parking area rather than having to push them into position.
Over the next five to 10 years, airport officials also plan to add 10 new hangars. The existing hangars, which are at least 30 or 40 years old, aren’t equipped with running water or adequate electricity. The old buildings will be torn down as new buildings are completed. The airport currently has 32 hangars, which are rented by area businesses and individuals in the community to store their airplanes.
Starting in June, Delta Air Lines/Comair will begin offering twice-daily fights between Willard and Atlanta, discontinuing service between Willard and Cincinnati.
“We’ve been asking for Atlanta service for a while,” Wanzek said. “Atlanta is Delta’s biggest hub, so it connects to all their stateside and overseas flights, and it offers the greatest opportunity for us.”