Overview
Birchwood Aviation Master Plan Update
Project Lead: Mike Fisher
Northern Economics supported the aviation master plan update with four major reports (socioeconomic evaluation, financial assessment, economic development, and financial plan) for the Birchwood Airport. Northern Economics also provided supporting information for the aviation activity forecast.
The socioeconomic evaluation was an in-depth examination of socioeconomic aspects of the Birchwood Airport region, focusing on the population, economy, and key industries like aviation, tourism, oil & gas, manufacturing, and mining, with the intent of informing an update to the Airport Master Plan (AMP).
The financial assessment provided an analysis of the operating costs and their driving factors at Birchwood Airport, a comparison of those costs with Wasilla and Soldotna Airports to assess Birchwood’s financial standing, and a discussion of potential improvement areas and associated costs, with the findings suggesting Birchwood has higher operational costs per aircraft operation but lower operating costs per based aircraft compared to the benchmark airports.
The economic development report gave a comprehensive analysis of economic, demographic, employment, and infrastructure characteristics for the Birchwood Airport, with its focus on assisting the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities in drafting an updated AMP aimed at informing decisions regarding capital improvements, maintenance, and operations for its continuous service.
The financial plan discussed the financial feasibility of the proposed improvements at Birchwood Airport, detailing the costs and funding sources of the Capital Improvement Program, historical financial data, the current airport financial structure, and forecasts for the “No Build” Alternative 1 and the recommended Alternative 2, which maintains the current runway and includes property acquisition and development costs.
The public website is available at https://dot.alaska.gov/creg/birchwoodamp/.