Orange County opens new $30M airport runway

GOSHEN – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus participated in a ceremonial ribbon cutting with other local dignitaries on Jan. 17 to celebrate the completion of Orange County Airport’s $30 million runway realignment project, the county announced.
Chairman of the Legislator Steve Brescia, Legislators Katie Bonelli, John Vero, Jim Kulisek, Pete Tuohy, Department of Public Works Commissioner Erik Denega, Real Property Director John McCarey and Ed Magryta, Orange County’s Director of Aviation, State Assemblyman Karl Brabenec and Town of Montgomery Supervisor Rod Winchell also attended the event.
The new 5,006-foot runway is the largest project completed by Orange County Airport since the original construction of the facility by the U.S. Army in 1943.
The runway project was completed on time and under budget and it was funded 90 percent federal, five percent state, and five percent county.
“The completion of the runway realignment at Orange County Airport ensures that we can now safely handle a vast array of aircraft,” Neuhaus said. “It also demonstrates the continuing importance of the airport as a vital component of our economic development strategy. We will continue to promote Orange County Airport as a viable aviation option.”
The runway realignment project at Orange County Airport was planned more than 20 years ago.
However, construction did not begin until 2014 due to required federal government and environmental approvals, and funding constraints related to such a large project.
The newly constructed runway will provide the airport community, a Federal Aviation Administration certified obstruction free and flood mitigated takeoff and landing surface with all the required safety enhancements.
The project ensures that Orange County Airport has a runway built to the highest safety standards, allowing for efficient business and recreational travel. Orange County Airport is the second-largest non-commercial/ general aviation airport in New York.
With more than 170 aircraft based there and 300 daily operations, the facility serves the corporate and general aviation market in the lower Hudson Valley.
“The new runway is a game changer for Orange County Airport,” Magryta said. “The steadily growing pilot community will be well served by this state of the art piece of infrastructure.”