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Washington, DC - Rep. Gene Green (D-Houston) announced that $25 million in funding for a new Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) air traffic control facility at Bush Intercontinental Airport was included in H.R. 2989/S. 1589, the Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act. The $25 million will enable the FAA to begin work on the new TRACON facility.
In April 2003, Rep. Green led the entire Houston delegation in requesting $34 million for the project, which received $20 million in the House bill in September.
“We need a new TRACON facility to take advantage of our investments at our Houston airports,” said Green. “With funding secured, FAA is in the process of identifying a site for this project and we are now on our way to improving Houston area air travel.”
The current TRACON facility was constructed in the late 1960's and does not adequately meet the needs of Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston Hobby Airport, and Ellington Field. The facility is in a low lying area which floods often, disrupting air traffic, and cannot be expanded to provide the airspace capacity needed to achieve the full benefits of the additional runway capacity coming online at Bush Intercontinental. Construction of the new TRACON facility is necessary to meet the 36% capacity increase identified in the FAA Operational Evolution Plan (OEP).
“We greatly appreciate Senator Hutchison’s and Congressman Culberson’s assistance on this important project,” added Green.
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