Proposed airport in Oak Ridge to support regional air traffic

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) — A new airport is one step closer to being built in Oak Ridge following the Federal Aviation Administration assessing the potential environmental impacts and finding no significant impacts.

The proposed general aviation airport would be built at the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge. The city of Oak Ridge shared that the FAA found that the proposed project would “not significantly affect the quality of the human environment and that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not necessary.”

The Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority (MKAA) began working to develop a small airport in another East Tennessee community in 2009 according to the FAA. The City of Oak Ridge shared that in September 2020, MKAA agreed to transfer sponsorship to the city, which then began to transfer grant funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Tennessee Aeronautics Economic Development Fund (AEDF) from MKAA to the city.

The proposed airport, which will include a 5,000-foot runway. will be located at East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) at Heritage Center, on the site of the former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant. According to the city, Oak Ridge is the largest community in the state without an airport for general aviation. The hope is that the proposed airport would fill the need and help to support McGhee Tyson Airport as the region continues to grow according to the FAA.

“The airport will support growth in the business, industrial, and tourism sectors and allow leaders to fly to Oak Ridge, putting the City on the map for technology companies. It would incentivize industry developing nearby – like Coquí RadioPharmaceuticals Corp., which is an Eastern U.S. distribution company that develops medical isotopes. The DOE has also voiced its support for the project and stated that it will benefit their operations in Oak Ridge,” read the city website.

The environmental assessment and the findings can be reviewed on the city’s website and in person at Oak Ridge Planning & Development Permit Desk in the Municipal Building’s Utility Business Office lobby, 200 South Tulane Avenue; the Oak Ridge Public Library at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike; the Oak Ridge Senior Center at 1405 Oak Ridge Turnpike; FAA, Memphis Airports District Office, 2600 Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Suite 2250, Memphis, TN, 38118.

The city shared that their goal is to have the airport open by 2026. Currently, they are awaiting the transfer of the remaining federally owned lands needed to build. Several pieces of land from the Community Reuse Organization Of East Tennessee, DOE, and the private sector have already been given to the city.

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