ST. LUCIE COUNTY — With the swoop of a small plane carrying County Commission Chairwoman Paula Lewis and the splash of water cannons from fire trucks, St. Lucie County International Airport will christen its new 4,000-foot runway on Thursday.

The $15.3 million runway is about 2,500 feet northwest of the existing pair of runways. It has been under construction for more than a year.

“We had a lot to do,” Lewis said. “We moved power lines, we acquired a piece of property for light of sight from the control tower, and I’m excited that it’s finally finished.”

Grand opening ceremonies at the airport on Thursday begin at 10:30 a.m. with Lewis flying in on the inaugural flight, followed by a water canon salute once the plane is on the ground. The plane will taxi through the streams of water.

“The water canon salute is an old tradition for special events like this,” Airport General Manager Todd Cox said.

The event will close with small planes demonstrating touch-and-go landings and takeoffs, said Airport Director Diana Lewis.

“The runway will allow us to separate the small planes from the larger ones, and from a safety standpoint, that’s very important,” Lewis said. “It has the added advantage of allowing a flight path that would reduce noise for nearby residents.

Historically, residents to the south and east of the airport have been unhappy with the amount of noise produced by training flights. The new runway will help keep planes away from those areas.

The newest runway is 4,000 feet long and 75 feet wide. The airport’s primary runway is more than a third longer at 6,492 feet long by 150 feet wide. The crosswind runway is 4,775 by 100 feet.

The 78-year-old airport includes 3,660 acres, making its total land area larger than Palm Beach International Airport, Lewis said. Only a small portion of that land is in use by the airport. The county is in the process of updating the 2002 airport master plan to look at development options for the future.

Runway inauguration

There will be a ceremony for a new airport runway at St. Lucie County International Airport.

What: Runway 10L/28R, 4,000 feet long, 75 feet wide, with 15,000-pound strength.

Where: St. Lucie County International Airport, St. Lucie Boulevard, northern Fort Pierce

When: Thursday, 10:30 a.m.

Who: Engineer: PBS & J; Contractor: Dickerson Florida Inc.

Cost: $15.3 million

More information: call (772) 462-1732 or visit http://www.stlucieco.gov/airport/ »

Susan Burgess

Tags: airports, beach, chairwoman, development, engine, engineers, fire, fires, Florida, grand, imported, inauguration, informant, noise, Plane, planes, property, safety, special, tower, Tradition, train, water

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