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Welcome to the website for the Kotzebue Airport Relocation Feasibility Study.
COMING SOON:
Check back here to view the airport master plan update.
In January 2008, the DOT&PF and the FAA released the final report on this study, which examined the feasibility of relocating Kotzebue’s Ralph Wien Memorial Airport, a regional hub that serves 11 communities and the Red Dog Mine.
 Due to the monumental costs of either constructing a new airport on another site (ranging from an estimated $760 million to $1.2 billion) or making major improvements to the existing airport (estimated at $560 million), the final report recommends keeping the airport functional through incremental safety enhancements.
The study recommends planning for economically feasible upgrades to the existing airport when updating the Kotzebue Airport Master Plan. DOT anticipates receiving funding to update the master plan in fall/early winter 2008.
The recommended strategy for determining which improvements are feasible is to establish reasonable funding levels for the next 20 years or beyond, then develop an improvement plan to meet funding. This would require careful consideration and discussion with FAA and the major air carriers to prioritize improvements.
The improvement plan would guide aircraft size and the number of operators the improved facility could reasonably serve. We could then assess the impacts of using smaller aircraft on Kotzebue and surrounding communities.
One of the key conditions influencing the study’s findings was the expectation of poor soil conditions combined with limited suitable materials for construction. KIC plans to conduct soil investigations along the Pipe Spit Bluff in spring 2008 in hopes of finding a local source of material. Their efforts will be combined with reconnaissance drilling at the proposed Airport Site 1. Knowledge of subsurface conditions will influence the cost of relocation for future decision making, if funding to support relocation is found.
Following this analysis, a draft feasibility report was prepared that addressed the feasibility of the potential relocation.
Read the January 2008 Final Feasibility Report |
