Alabama International Airport Authority
Encyclopedia
The Alabama International Airport Authority was a commission designated with the task of developing a proposal for a new international airport within the state in the 1990s. The airport was envisioned to relieve air traffic from Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport in addition to serving as a replacement for the existing Birmingham Airport
. The $1.5 billion facility was to have seen its first phase complete and operational by 1999 but never received sufficient funding to be carried out.
The authority was composed of ten citizens appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, the speaker of the House of Representatives and by the mayors of Birmingham
, Mobile
, Montgomery
, Huntsville
and Dothan
. William Bell
was selected as Birmingham's representative by then mayor Richard Arrington, and by June 1993, Bell was named chairman of the authority.
In December 1992, the authority received an initial $800,000 grant from the FAA to formally begin the study for the proposed facility. Initially ten separate sites were evaluated as possible locations for the facility. The selections were then narrowed down to two sites as possible locations for the airport. The first was located in Chilton County
near Buxahatchee and the second was located in St. Clair County
near Gadsden. By July 1993, the existing Birmingham Airport also emerged as a possibility for the new facility through an aggressive expansion plan.
In July 1994, governor Jim Folsom
announced that the St. Clair site was chosen as the site for the proposed airport.
By 1995 the authority had developed a master plan for the St. Clair site. Located between Steele
and Rainbow City
the plan called for a two runway facility with a 21-gate terminal at an initial cost of $470 million. Additionally, the plan also envisioned an expansion of two additional runways and expansion of the terminal to 125 gates at a cost of $996 million by 2015. It was estimated that the completed facility would generate tax revenues in excess of $96 million in addition to the creation of 47,000 jobs.
In May 1995, the FAA denied the authority additional funding stating that there was no current need for a new or expanded international airport within the state. Without funding from the FAA, the proposal for the facility essentially died with the authority being out of operation by the early 2000s. http://www2.census.gov/govs/cog/gc0212al.pdf
accessible from Interstate 65
.
Birmingham International Airport (US)
Southwest Airlines carried the most passengers through BHM in 2007; transporting 1.14 million passengers, 35.6% of total BHM passengers. Additionally, Southwest Airlines operates BHM as a connecting airport for over 180 different flight pairs.Southwest uses Las Vegas and Phoenix to connect...
. The $1.5 billion facility was to have seen its first phase complete and operational by 1999 but never received sufficient funding to be carried out.
History
The idea of replacing the existing Birmingham International Airport first came to fruition in 1988 when then governor Guy Hunt proposed that the state build a new airport to serve as a replacement for the aging Birmingham facility. In 1991, the Alabama International Airport Authority was established by the state legislature with the purpose of developing both where the facility would be constructed as well as the method by which it would be constructed.The authority was composed of ten citizens appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, the speaker of the House of Representatives and by the mayors of Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
and Dothan
Dothan, Alabama
Dothan is a city located in the southeastern corner of the US state of Alabama, situated approximately west of the Georgia state line and north of Florida. It is the seat of Houston County, with portions extending into nearby Dale County and Henry County...
. William Bell
William Bell
-Musicians:* William Bell * William Bell * William Henry Bell , composer -Politicians:* Dr. William Bell , founder of Manitou Springs, Colorado...
was selected as Birmingham's representative by then mayor Richard Arrington, and by June 1993, Bell was named chairman of the authority.
In December 1992, the authority received an initial $800,000 grant from the FAA to formally begin the study for the proposed facility. Initially ten separate sites were evaluated as possible locations for the facility. The selections were then narrowed down to two sites as possible locations for the airport. The first was located in Chilton County
Chilton County, Alabama
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*84.1% White*9.7% Black*0.4% Native American*0.3% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.2% Two or more races*7.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
near Buxahatchee and the second was located in St. Clair County
St. Clair County, Alabama
St. Clair County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.It is a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. Its name is in honor of General Arthur St...
near Gadsden. By July 1993, the existing Birmingham Airport also emerged as a possibility for the new facility through an aggressive expansion plan.
In July 1994, governor Jim Folsom
Jim Folsom
James Elisha Folsom, Sr. , commonly known as Jim Folsom or "Big Jim", was the 42nd Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1947 to 1951, and again from 1955 to 1959. Born in Coffee County, Alabama, Folsom is perhaps best remembered as being among the first Southern governors to embrace...
announced that the St. Clair site was chosen as the site for the proposed airport.
By 1995 the authority had developed a master plan for the St. Clair site. Located between Steele
Steele, Alabama
Steele is a town in northeastern St. Clair County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,093. The town is a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area.-Geography:Steele is located at ....
and Rainbow City
Rainbow City, Alabama
Rainbow City is a city in Etowah County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Rainbow City is located at .According to the U.S...
the plan called for a two runway facility with a 21-gate terminal at an initial cost of $470 million. Additionally, the plan also envisioned an expansion of two additional runways and expansion of the terminal to 125 gates at a cost of $996 million by 2015. It was estimated that the completed facility would generate tax revenues in excess of $96 million in addition to the creation of 47,000 jobs.
In May 1995, the FAA denied the authority additional funding stating that there was no current need for a new or expanded international airport within the state. Without funding from the FAA, the proposal for the facility essentially died with the authority being out of operation by the early 2000s. http://www2.census.gov/govs/cog/gc0212al.pdf
Proposed Birmingham facility
The proposed expansion of the Birmingham Airport would have resulted in the displacement of over 2,000 residents businesses, churches and other facilities to complete. Its expansion would have resulted in the acquisition of much of present day East Lake to the northeast of the existing facility. As part of the envisioned expansion, 1st Avenue North would have to be tunneled underneath the expanded runway. Additionally, East Lake Park would be a casualty of the expansion in addition to the relocation of the Putnam Water Plant and the clean-up of a former landfill site for construction to commence on the expansion.Proposed Buxahatchee facility
The proposed Buxahatchee facility would have resulted in the displacement of 20 residences, several older churches, cemeteries and other structures to complete. It would have been located 12 miles to the northeast of ClantonClanton, Alabama
Clanton is a city in Chilton County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. At the 2000 census the population was 7,800. The city is the county seat of Chilton County.-History:...
accessible from Interstate 65
Interstate 65
Interstate 65 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States. The southern terminus is located at an intersection with Interstate 10 in Mobile, Alabama, and its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 , U.S. Route 12, and U.S...
.
External links
- Alabama International Airport Authority on Justia.com