St. George Airport on schedule

After 20 years of planning and two years of building, the St. George replacement airport will be fully operational Jan.13, 2011. Larry Bulloch, public works director, who is overseeing the project, said the airport is about 80 percent complete. "We're trying to get a flight check by Aug. 30 (by Federal Aviation Association) to certify that the runway meets their standards," Bulloch said. The terminal, Bulloch said, is 80 percent complete and the Air Rescue and Fire Fighting station is 40 percent complete. "The roadways still need to be completed - Airport Parkway will be done in September. That will be the main way to get to the airport," Bulloch said.

Bulloch said typically on a construction project there is one contractor - the airport project has 45 contractors. Along with more commercial flights, the new airport opens up more opportunities for cargo to be flown into the city.Gary Esplin, St. George City Manager, said currently there isn't a lot of cargo being flown. The Spectrum