MAC Targets the Electioneers

Being located right along the Mississippi River, St. Paul Downtown Airport has had problems with flooding. Most recently, the airport flooded in April of 2001, shutting down operations until July of the same year. Once the flood waters receded, the airport was covered in three feet of silt that needed to be cleaned out with loaders and dump trucks.

“This airport has become so important to the system,” says airport manager Greg Fries. “The type of traffic and customers that we have here simply cannot sustain a flood like that and stay in business.”
The airport commission pursued a floodwall plan, with approval finally coming in 2006. Construction is currently underway, with completion projected by 2009.

One side of the airport is elevated to the 500-year flood level, keeping it mostly protected. Two of the three runways are currently closed while a floodwall consisting of sheet piling is installed. All three runways will be shortened to accommodate the dyke, with the floodwall coming across the end of two runways.

“They’re constructing an earthen dyke and placing temporary floodwall gates,” says Fries. Prior to a flood event, pieces of the flood wall will have to be brought out and placed in the pavement. The main 6,700-foot runway will be shortened 300 feet.

“We met with the tenants, and didn’t have a whole lot of choice when it came to shortening the runway because we needed to meet some new FAA safety barrier requirements,” Fries explains. “We also wanted to build this floodwall and we couldn’t get some of the funding we needed unless we met those safety area standards.”

The airport will still be usable for tenants, including five Gulfstreams based here, with a combination of the shortened runways and EMAS.

“The tenants could live with the 300 feet or so that we lost. Any more than that, it would be a problem because some of the based tenants here could not go nonstop to Europe and the Far East like they want to.”

Once completed, the airport will also build overlooks and install decorative pieces to “pretty up” the airport. In the meantime, the closed runways will be temporarily reopened to accommodate Republican National Convention traffic.