Runway Overrun Safety Zone To Be Constructed At Sikorsky Memorial Airport

The Stratford, CT, Town Council has reached an agreement with Sikorsky for the establishment of a safety zone at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Bridgeport, CT (KBDR). The agreement, which has been years in the making, was unanimously approved by the Council Wednesday.

The deal, which was mediated by the FAA, will allow a safety zone to be built at the northeastern end of runway 6-24, and re-route and elevate a portion of a nearby street that is prone to flooding. It also precludes any future expansion at the airport, which is owned by the city of Bridgeport, CT.

Airport authorities say the settlement could result in regionalization of the airport. It allows the state to facilitate meetings between Bridgeport and Stratford on that subject. The two factions have been at odds over the airport for the better part of 50 years, according to a report in the Connecticut Post newspaper, with nearby resident vigorously opposing any expansion of the facility.

Long-time pilot and former airport manager Morgan Kaolian told the paper that the agreement "is the best thing that has ever happened in the history of the airport." But some of the handful of residents who attended Wednesday night's meeting were still not completely satisfied. Resident Joseph Koripsky told the paper that he was angry that the council had not given residents more notice that there would be public comments about the deal heard at the meeting.

The town of Stratford is expected to withdraw pending federal lawsuits against the FAA and the City of Bridgeport within the next two weeks.

The safety zone that will be constructed will replace a blast fence with a safety zone approximately 300 feet long constructed of aerated concrete blocks that will collapse under the weight of an airplane. The most serious accident at the airport occurred in 1994 in just such a runway excursion, resulting in the fatal injury of eight of the nine people aboard a Piper Chieftain.

FMI: www.townofstratford.com/