The Department of Transportation is proposing to bring the Nome Airport Runway Safety Areas (RSA) into compliance with FAA design standards.  The RSA is a cleared area surrounding the runway to help reduce the risk of damage to airplanes in the event of an undershoot, overshoot, or excursion from the runway.

Two alternatives for expanding RSA’s in Nome are being considered as part of a Nome Airport Runway Safety Area project.  DOT&PF and FAA are currently considering a No-Build Alternative and one build alternative (Proposed Action). The Proposed Action would provide the most effective solution for achieving full safety area compliance and may provide opportunity for lower approach minimums and greater accessibility to the Nome Airport.  The Proposed Action would include the following improvements:

• Improvements to address RSA deficiencies
• Relocating navigational aids and additional paving, as required due to threshold shifts
• Relocation of access roads, as required
• Relocation of the Snake River

Runway 10-28, the main runway at Nome Airport has no safety area beyond either threshold. The length and width of the RSA for Runway 10-28 is deficient. There is land available beyond the Runway 28 threshold that could be utilized.   To improve these deficiencies, Runway 10-28 thresholds may be shifted and new embankment would be constructed off the western end of the runway.  The improvements would require relocation of the Snake River (see below).  The goal is to provide as much RSA as possible on each end of the runway for safety and to eliminate airspace obstructions in the approaches. See diagram of this option.

Runway 3-21, the crosswind runway at Nome Airport, has a deficient RSA length and width.  To improve these deficiencies and to improve at night approach minimums, Runway 3-21 threshold would be shifted to the north east and new embankment would be constructed off the north east end of the runway which would provide RSA on each end to improve safety of this runway and would also eliminate the airspace obstructions on the south western Runway 03 approach end.  The new embankment would require the existing access road on the north east end of the runway to be relocated.  The RSA for this runway would be widened as well.

The Snake River winds around the existing runways creating a barrier to expanding the main runway embankment to the west and future improvements of the airport (the runway cannot be extended or moved to the east due to obstructions). The Snake River channel would be relocated from a take-off point approximately 5,000 feet upstream of Runway 10-28, routed through an approximately 5,500-foot long channel to a reconnection south of the main runway.

Design engineering, hydrology, and environmental studies have begun. DOT&PF, in cooperation with FAA, will be initiating an environmental review process to ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and to identify and assess potential environmental consequences of the Proposed Action.

At this time, the Runway Safety Area project team is soliciting comments on the project and preliminary alternatives. To date, we have received comments expressing concerns about contaminated soils, property access, constructing in permafrost, reducing freshwater flow to the harbor, impacting property values, and more. All of these comments are helping us develop practicable alternatives and design useful investigations to examine impacts. 

We want to hear from you!  Submit your comments.
Click here to send comments to the Runway Safety Area Expansion project team. 

See also PROJECT SCHEDULE

See also PROJECT DOCUMENTS

For More Information:

Sara Lindberg, Environmental Analyst Email: slindberg@uskh.com USKH Inc. 544 4th Avenue Fairbanks, AK  99701-4714 Tel:  1-907-452-2128 Fax: 1-907-452-4225  Persons with a hearing impairment can contact Relay Alaska at their Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD/TTY) number, 800-770-8973 and they will assist in contacting the project team. We are able to offer, upon request, reasonable accommodations for special needs related to other disabilities.