Historic Colleton County airport set for upgrades to fuel farm, runways
COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Lowcountry Regional Airport, one of the largest land mass aviation sites in South Carolina, will soon see upgrades to two driving functional components: fuel and runways.
The airport, nestled just five minutes from downtown Walterboro, is roughly 700 acres. It is the landing pad for small aircraft, large commercial jets and anything in between, utilizing runways nearing 6,000 feet long.
“Most airports only have one runway. We’re fortunate to have that. It is a great amenity for our city and county because of the opportunities it creates for industrial development and for tourism,” Walterboro Mayor and Airport Chairman Bill Young said.
History traces its roots back to World War II when Tuskegee Airmen used the large facility as a training center. Airport staff reports this as the reason the airport is so large.
From then on to the present day, the site as served both military and civilian experiences. A memorial for the Army Airfield sits nearby, a testament to decades of service and a hope to preserve its heritage.
On Tuesday, Colleton County Council approved a financial agreement not exceeding $1.5 million. The project will allow the renovation of a new fuel farm, which will bring the airport’s resources up to compliance.
The old fuel farm on-property has two tanks, one for small plane power and another for larger jets, which are transported by truck to the aircraft. The area can become congested when aircraft are attempting to fuel up, so the new farm will move to another part of the tarmac, out of the way.
The new system will offer self-service functions for smaller aircraft, similar to a gas station pump for a car. One tank would have up to 20,000 gallons, while the other would hold close to 12,000.
It will also bring in digital measuring elements for the tank that the previous set-up did not have. The new tanks will be double-lined.
The fuel farm is a piece of the many, multi-million-dollar efforts to upgrade the airport, including improvements to the runways and taxiways. Airport staff report an increase in jet use at the airport in the past four years.
“We can better serve the planes here. A lot of people don’t realize the number of planes and large jets we have going in and out of this airport,” Young said.
The airport is owned by Colleton County and the City of Walterboro but is managed by the Aviation Commission, which is self-sufficient in funding. Leaders expect to release bidding interests for both the fueling and the runway projects in the spring and summer.
The project also requests the help of funding from the Federal Aviation Administration through a grant.
“We’re going to bring that up to current standards so we can fuel efficiently and serve all clients that come in and out of our airport, and get prepared for the future,” Biering said.
Leaders expect construction to start in the summertime.
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