Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 18, 1993 TAG: 9311180158
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It keeps getting bigger and deeper. It's about 150 feet from the runway.
It poses no danger to planes or passengers, said Jacqueline Shuck, executive director of the airport.
Still, the time has come for the sinkhole to be filled and stabilized to keep it from getting larger, Shuck said Wednesday.
The hole is about 8 feet wide and 10 to 12 feet deep. It has gradually gotten bigger in recent weeks.
Shuck told the Regional Airport Commission that engineers have estimated it could cost up to $40,000 to fill the hole.
"It is going to be fairly costly. We will have to get experts to advise us on what will have to be done," she said.
The sinkhole is near where the east-west runway crosses Airport Road, just west of the tunnel beneath the runway.
Shuck said rocks, gravel, dirtand other materials might be needed to fill the hole.
Sinkholes are fairly common in the Roanoke Valley because of limestone caverns.
But this is believed to the first major one at the airport - at least so close to the runway.
There could be one problem in filling the hole, she said.
Repair crews and equipment might have to cross the runway to reach it.
That could affect airport operations unless the repair work is scheduled to avoid any conflict with flights. The hole is near a fill area with a
slope, and it might be difficult to reach the site from that direction, she said.
Also Wednesday, the commission approved the purchase of 4 acres for an air cargo terminal off Airport Road.
The airport will pay $450,000 for the land, near La Maison Restaurant. The price was determined by independent appraisals.
Mark Williams, attorney for the commission, said federal and state grants will cover 95 percent of the cost.
Bob Johnson, chairman of the commission, said air cargo is one of the fastest-growing businesses at the airport.
Johnson, a Roanoke County supervisor, predicted that air freight will become a more important part of the airport's operations in the next few years.
"I think we are headed in the right direction on that," he said.
by CNB