DULUTH — The air traffic control tower at Duluth International Airport hails from the 1950s, clocking it as the third-oldest in the country.
About half the size it should be, it’s too short for the length of its runways, and necessary repairs or replacements make up a costly laundry list.
The aviation economy in Duluth has grown “exponentially” since the tower was built and makes the biggest financial impact on the state’s aviation industry outside of Minneapolis, said Tom Werner, executive director of the Duluth Airport Authority.
“We have a robust and very, very diverse aviation economy here, [which] requires air traffic control to kind of quarterback all that is going on in the air,” he said, making it critical to maintain modern technology.
The Airport Authority, backed by the city of Duluth, is asking the state for $14 million to help pay for a $66 million replacement project. The project didn’t make the cut during last year’s legislative session.
The state money would help snag federal funding to cover the bulk of the project and pay for demolition of blighted buildings to make way for the new tower, environmental work and relocation of an airfield road.
Last fall, Minnesota’s entire congressional delegation, led by Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration asking for support for the project. It has a narrow window to procure money from the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act.
“The DLH provides vital service to the region,” the letter said, for commercial, cargo and medical service flights, while housing Cirrus Aircraft and the 148th Fighter Wing of the Minnesota Air National Guard. The airport is “crucial to our economic and national security.”
