A Maryland airport is getting a "transformational" safety upgrade. See pictures of the $22 million project at this Baltimore-area airport.
MIDDLE RIVER, MD — Martin State Airport broke ground on a new air traffic control tower Monday in Middle River, ushering in a new era of air safety and technology.
The $22.2 million tower is slated to reach substantial completion by September 2026. It will replace the existing 1942 structure, which is one of the oldest active control towers in the country.
Martin State Airport serves military planes, civilian aircraft and flight schools. The Maryland Air National Guard flies out of the airport, as do private jets and small Cessna planes. Police and news helicopters also operate from the airfield.
The airport boomed during World War II, with the Glenn L. Martin Company manufacturing planes for Allied forces.
Congressman Johnny Olszewski (D-District 2) called the airport "a critical engine for Middle River, Baltimore County and for the entire State of Maryland."
Olszewski said the airport supports over 2,300 regional jobs and contributes $430 million annually to the local economy.
"If we want to keep it that way, and we do, we have to keep investing," Olszewski said at the ground-breaking ceremony, which drew roughly 100 officials bearing the dreary rain. "An 80-year-old tower is no longer cutting it."
Olszewski said the tower was funded with nearly $10 million from the federal government, including about $3 million from the bipartisan infrastructure law. The Federal Aviation Administration and the Maryland Transportation Trust Fund contributed grants for the project.
The congressman said he is also requesting another $3 million from the federal government for additional runway improvements, continuing the progress from last year's rehab to the 7,000-foot runway.
Maryland Air National Guard Brigadier General Richard Hunt applauded the improvements. He said investments like these have helped the Guard serve over 10 combat missions from Martin State since 2001. Martin State Airport has been home to the Maryland Air National Guard since 1957, when it relocated to Middle River for its longer runway.
"The mission that this airport provides is critical to our success," Hunt said. "There's no doubt that the air traffic control tower, much like the runway renovation, is foundational to the capability that this airport provides."
The new tower will be taller and situated closer to the middle of the airfield. With improved sightlines and technology, the tower will improve aircraft safety.
Shannetta Griffin, executive director and CEO of the Maryland Aviation Administration, thinks the project will help Martin State continue to grow.
Griffin called it a "transformational project" and "a new chapter in the long, rich history of this airport."
"The new tower that we will construct at this site is a testament to evolution and progress," Griffin said. "With modern technology, improved visibility and expanded capabilities, this new tower will serve our controller partners and the pilots that fly through Martin State Airport. It will keep our skies safer and our operations more efficient as we look to the future."
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld thinks growth at Martin State will spur economic development in Middle River.
"During the last session [of the Maryland General Assembly,] they had to make some really tough decisions, and one of those decisions was to generate more revenue so we could deliver projects like this," Wiedefeld said, pointing to the tax hikes on the wealthy and increased fees initiated to offset the state's $3 billion budget deficit. "It really is going to be a beacon, I think, for economic development in this part of the county."
Other officials at the ceremony included State Sen. J.B. Jennings (R-District 7), State Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-District 7A) and representatives for Democratic U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks.
Towson Mechanical Inc. is the construction contractor.
More details are available at this link. A video of the ground-breaking is posted here.