Hillwood Properties announced today that a multi-year project to extend runways 16R/34L,16L/34R and Taxiway A to 11,000 feet at the north end of Fort Worth Alliance Airport, has begun construction.
The expansion will allow greater flight capability and enable long-haul flights to take off fully fueled under almost any weather conditions increasing air cargo capacity out of Alliance Airport and boosting business in Fort Worth and the region.
The runway extension program has received funding from the FAA, the Texas Department of Transportation and other local sources since its inception. Alliance Airport received $21.1 million from the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program in fiscal year 2014/2015 and expects to finalize funding in the coming fiscal year. Construction completion is targeted for first quarter 2018.
“This is an exciting and much-anticipated milestone for Alliance Airport,” said Tom Harris, president of Alliance Air Services. “This extension brings us one step closer to realizing our master plan of transforming the role of this airport regionally and nationally. We know that there is a lot of competition for funding, so we appreciate the continued support the FAA has provided to make our vision a reality.”
The first phase of this extension involves dirt work to bring areas around the runway up to airport grade. This includes the former section of FM 156 as well as BNSF’s previous rail line north of the runway.
The runway extension project has been in the planning and development stages since 2000 and has been a high priority for state and federal transportation officials. Besides the FAA, the Texas Department of Transportation and other sources have paid to relocate SH156 and the BNSF mainline rail. The railroad began using the new rail line in September and new SH156 has been in use since 2012.
Fort Worth Alliance Airport, developed in a unique public-private partnership among the FAA, the City of Fort Worth and Hillwood Properties, is the anchor of the company’s 18,000-acre, master-planned AllianceTexas community in north Fort Worth, considered one of the most successful projects of its kind in the world.
ABOUT FORT WORTH ALLIANCE AIRPORT
Fort Worth Alliance Airport is the world's first industrial airport designed for cargo and corporate aviation traffic. The airport features a vast array of flight services, including air cargo, corporate, private, and military aviation, and is the cornerstone for the nation's fastest-growing industrial complex, the Alliance Global Logistics Hub. Owned by the City of Fort Worth and managed by privately-held Alliance Air Services, Fort Worth Alliance Airport provides state-of-the-art infrastructure and an award-winning FAA air traffic control tower. The attached FBO has been ranked among the finest in the U.S. by industry publications, as well as fuel service providers. For more information, please visit www.allianceairport.com.
ABOUT ALLIANCETEXAS
AllianceTexas (www.alliancetexas.com) is an 18,000-acre, master-planned community anchored by the world’s first industrial airport. It includes the Alliance Global Logistics Hub, Circle T Ranch, and Alliance Town Center projects. AllianceTexas is now home to over 400 companies, which have built more than 37 million square feet and created over 40,000 jobs. The community also includes over one million square feet of retail, restaurant, and entertainment components integrated with a variety of single-family and luxury apartment home options. Since its inception, it is estimated that AllianceTexas has generated more than $55 billion in economic impact for the North Texas region.
ABOUT HILLWOOD
Hillwood, a Perot company, is ranked as one of the top commercial real estate investors and developers in the country and as the top residential developer in Dallas-Fort Worth. Hillwood is best known for its Alliance brand that includes the 18,000-acre AllianceTexas, 4,474-acre AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center and 2,000-acre AllianceCalifornia developments. For additional information about the company, please visit www.hillwood.com.
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