An update to the Washington Aviation System Plan is scheduled to kick off next summer.
The Washington State Department of Transportation Aviation Division is spearheading this system planning effort, which will help the state strategically maintain and improve its aviation system for the future. The update focuses on several specific goals:
Capturing changes at airports and determining future needs.
Identifying and planning for emerging technologies and trends that support aviation and aerospace.
Examining current and future commercial passenger service and air cargo needs.
Addressing known and anticipated changes in general aviation.
Establishing safety standards and updating performance objectives.
Seeking input from aviation stakeholders and the public.
The system plan update will place an increased emphasis on air cargo and how it enhances Washington’s aviation system and economy. WSDOT will also examine how multimodal transportation improves passenger and freight activity at airports.
WSDOT will draw from existing initiatives and programs for the update, including the Washington Airport Investment Study, Statewide Capital Improvement Program, Airport Pavement Management report and the Airport Economic Impact Study.
The Federal Aviation Administration will fund 90 percent of the aviation system plan update.
It is the state’s role to guide development of a coherent statewide strategy to ensure that adequate aviation capacity exists to accommodate predicted growth. The last system plan was completed in 2009 as part of the Long-Term Air Transportation Study.
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2013/12/2014AviationSystemPlanUpdate.htm