Governor Doyle approves $45,000 project at Wittman Regional Airport

May 6, 2009

Governor Jim Doyle has approved $45,000 to update the ALP/ground operation and signage plan for the annual air show, and to evaluate airfield pavement strength at the Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. The Governor's action releases $1,125 in state funds for the project and Winnebago County is contributing another $1,125. The Federal Aviation Administration is providing $42,750.

According to Terry Ripp, airport engineering specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the project will enhance the approval process that the airport and the FAA have to go through each year before the AirVenture event to receive the waivers needed for safety operations at the airport. Also, the pavement strength testing will give the airport documentation of what type of itinerate traffic can come into the airport on a minimal use basis, specifically during AirVenture.

The design project is scheduled to begin in April 2009 and should be completed by June 2009.

Facilities at Wittman Regional Airport include four paved runways that accommodate over 103,000 aircraft take-offs and landings each year. The airport also hosts the annual AirVenture event (formerly called the EAA Fly-In), which attracts more than 10,000 aircraft and over half a million people each year.

For more information, contact:
Terry Ripp, Airport Engineering Specialist
(608) 267-7108, terry.ripp@dot.wi.gov