Allegheny County Airport Renovations to Include 12 New Hangars

The Allegheny County Airport Authority today plans to outline $2 million in renovations to the county airport in West Mifflin.

Work will include adding 12 hangars for small aircraft, which will be the first hangars built at the airport in 25 years.

To comply with new Federal Aviation Administration requirements, the authority will convert the airport's third runway into a taxiway, said authority spokeswoman JoAnn Jenny.

Half the money will come from federal grants, and the other half will come from the airport authority, which plans to recoup the money through leasing fees at the new hangars. Construction is expected to begin May 1.

"It's definitely in need of rehabilitation. The buildings and structures down there are pretty old," Jenny said. The last hangar, built 25 years ago, was constructed to house an H.J. Heinz Co. corporate plane.

The authority is converting its third runway into a taxiway because the FAA announced it would no longer pay for the runway's pavement repairs, Jenny said.

Because no aircraft will be landing there, the decision opened a swath of land on the west side of Allegheny County Airport to development. Voyager Jet Center, a corporate charter service that operates at the airport, took advantage of the newly opened space first. It began a $15 million expansion program in the summer that will include two hangars, a 40,000-square-foot office building with a private road, and four acres of aircraft ramp area.

Voyager plans to announce a projected completion date today, Jenny said.

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