HOENIX (AP) Construction is under way at Sky Harbor International Airport on a $54-million control tower that will help handle a spike in air traffic and a growing number of runways and hard-to-see taxiways.
The 335-ft. (102 m) tower, which is expected to have a life span of about 25 years, also would manage any increased traffic created by a planned fourth runway years in the future.
At almost twice the height of the current structure, the tower will be a new landmark for the Phoenix area’s skyline.
Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza said the tower comes “just in time” to ensure passenger safety and provide for growth. “Any later would put the flying public at risk,” he said.
The tower project also includes a new Terminal Radar Approach Control, or TRACON, facility, which will have the latest radar and weather technology, making Sky Harbor the most up-to-date airport in the country, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
