Mobile Airport One of 31 in U.S. Selected for New Sustainable Air Traffic Control Tower
Mobile’s developing commercial airport at the Brookley Aeroplex is one of 31 airports in the U.S. that will have a sustainable design for its new air traffic control tower, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday.
The new tower is part of an overall redevelopment of the Mobile International Airport (BFM) south of the city’s downtown area ahead of a complete change in commercial air service in Mobile by 2025.
“This continues the momentum we have to build the airport into a world-class facility,” said Chris Curry, president of the Mobile Airport Authority.”
According to the FAA, the sustainable design for the new air traffic control towers will be used primarily at municipal and smaller airports and was developed by Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) of New York.
Mobile International Airport (BFM) is the only airport in Alabama the FAA plans to build the new sustainable design tower.
According to the FAA, one of the unique features of the tower is that it will have its height adjusted to meet the airport’s traffic and sightline requirement, while also reducing construction and operational costs.
The designs will also be tailored to local climate and location issues such as high winds and wet and dry environments.
“This project will significantly improve safety and provide other options for us to build out and utilize our land to its highest and best use,” Curry said.
The design will also incorporate key sustainability elements including:
- All-electric building system
- Materials and products free from chemicals that pose health risks
- Thermally efficient façade
- High-recycled steel and metal products
- Renewable mass timber when usable
- Ground-source heating and cooling in some environments
“These new air traffic control towers will mean that smaller airports can handle more flights, more sustainably and more affordably,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated in a prepared release. “I look forward to seeing this design go from the drawing board to construction sites across the country, helping our nation’s airports support more travelers, grow their local economies and prepare for the future of low-carbon aviation.”
The FAA anticipates groundbreakings beginning next year.
The project in Mobile will be part of an approximately $330 million airport terminal construction project that is expected to be completed by 2025. The project is being financed through federal, state, county and local budgets.
Curry said the project wouldn’t happen without “the commitments from the city, county and state leadership as well.”
The overall goal of the airport terminal project is to swap commercial air service in Mobile and relocate them from Mobile Regional Airport in far western Mobile to the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, adjacent to Interstate 10 and a mere six-minute drive from the city’s downtown core.
The new tower is part of the overall project. Curry said the old tower will be removed, and replaced by the new tower that “is more appropriate for the mission we have at Mobile International Airport.”
Curry said he anticipates most of the tower’s funding coming from the federal government.
According to the FAA, the tower in Mobile will get funding through the bipartisan infrastructure law. The FAA set aside more than $500 million of funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, to support site evaluation for the new towers, preparation, and early construction activities.
The FAA’s aim with the project is to replace towers that are functioning beyond their intended design life with new facilities ranging in 60 to 119 feet tall.
Curry said he is unsure on a timeline for construction to begin on Mobile’s new tower, or its costs.
Curry said a “kick off meeting” is scheduled with the FAA in early May, at which time more details will be known.
He said that past studies on a location for a new tower likely helped Mobile be considered for the new tower.
“One thing we’ve done in the past is that we’ve undergone some studies on a tower location at the airport,” Curry said. “So, we probably were much further ahead than the other airports when it comes to having a current evaluation on where the tower should be.”
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