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Georgia transportation committee weighs statewide airspace protections as airports report hundreds of obstruction projects
Summary
Presenters told the House Transportation Committee that dozens of Georgia airports face vegetation and tower penetrations of FAA Part 77 approach surfaces, listing 111 CIP projects and roughly $37 million of work to address obstructions; consultants urged a state policy framework (extraterritorial zoning, Part 77‑based rules, GIS permitting) while emphasizing compensation and local coordination.
The House Transportation Committee on Tuesday heard presentations from Georgia Department of Transportation aviation staff and airport advocates calling for uniform state policy to protect airport approach surfaces from trees, towers and other obstructions. GDOT and consultants said many of the state’s small and general‑aviation airports are spending capital on obstruction removal and mitigation instead of revenue‑generating improvements such as hangars.
GDOT aviation division representative Clement Solomon told the committee Georgia’s airport system includes about 105 public‑use airports, nearly 8,500 registered aircraft and more than 17,000 registered pilots. He described the state and federal funding arrangements that support airport capital work, including a 75/25 state/local split for state programs and Georgia’s participation in the FAA state block grant program for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) projects, which GDOT said follows roughly a 90% federal / 5% state / 5% local breakdown for federally‑funded projects.
Mead & Hunt consultant Stephanie Ward, who carried out a study for the Georgia Airports Association, told the committee that airport capital‑improvement program…
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