LOCAL GOVERNMENT
San Angelo Regional Airport to Begin $11.2M Runway Conversion Project, Study New Control Tower
City Council voted to move forward with more than $11 million in improvements at the San Angelo Regional Airport that will convert a former runway into a taxiway and begin planning for a potential new air traffic control tower.
The council approved several airport-related items during its meeting Tuesday, including a nearly $10 million construction contract with Hoar Construction to convert Runway 09/27 to “Taxiway H.”
According to Airport Director Justin Fletcher, who presented the items to the council, the project has been in planning and design since 2017 and is supported by a $10.6 million discretionary Airport Improvement Program grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Hoar Construction was the sole bidder for the project after the city advertised the work at the FAA’s request in early 2026. Bids were opened in May, with Hoar submitting a bid of $9,928,889.
The project includes three major components: converting Runway 09/27 to Taxiway H, reconstructing the existing Taxiway H, which has been closed since 2021, and acquiring illuminated X-shaped runway closure markers.
“We’re going to have closures on the airport– it’s going to affect our aircraft taxi. It’s going to have big impacts on the airport while we carry this project out. It’s a 150 day project,” said Fletcher.
The construction contract will be funded through a 95 percent FAA and 5 percent airport Passenger Facility Charge funding split. The FAA will provide $9.43 million toward the construction contract, while the city will provide $496,444 in local funding from airport PFC funds.
Including construction management services, the total project cost is expected to be about $11.16 million.
The item passed unanimously.
The council also approved a $1.22 million amendment with Woolpert Inc. for construction management services related to the runway and taxiway project.
Under the agreement, Woolpert will assign a full-time project manager to represent the airport during construction, assist with contractor payment applications and handle grant administration and closeout.
The FAA will cover 95 percent, or $1.16 million, of Woolpert’s costs, while $60,891 will come from the city’s airport PFC funds.
“Construction management is a huge talking point of these projects,” Fletcher told the council. “Having somebody that is focused on construction– not only focused on construction but they’re focused on airport construction, so they understand the airport environment, operating on an active airfield, and then accomplishing these construction projects.”
The item passed unanimously.
The airport also received a separate $1 million FAA grant to begin planning for a new air traffic control tower.
The grant will fund a siting study, environmental clearance and preliminary design for a potential new tower at San Angelo Regional Airport. Unlike the runway project, the tower planning grant is funded entirely by the FAA and requires no local match.
Fletcher told the council that a new control tower is close to $22 million.
The City Council approved the grant and a corresponding $1 million amendment with Woolpert to conduct the work.
Woolpert will provide a dedicated design team to conduct the tower siting study, complete an environmental impact review and prepare preliminary design drawings.
The $1 million grant was awarded through the FAA’s annual Federal Contract Tower Notice of Funding Opportunity.
The item passed unanimously.
