Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Belfast Municipal Airport currently utilizes a small, outdated building for managing the airport and training pilots. This building does not meet ADA accessibility requirements. There is a parking lot on site that doesn’t have any handicapped parking. The road that accesses the airport, Wright Brothers Drive, is crossed under by a culvert that regularly overtops. Due to these issues, Cory Morse, a representative of the airport, has come to us in search of solutions. During a site visit in October 2023, we recognized a safety hazard in the hairpin turn design of the entrance to Wright Brothers Drive and decided to investigate potential solutions.

We propose the construction of a new terminal building that will house amenities for the airport manager, pilot training sessions, and travelers waiting for flights. The new building design features ADA accessible spaces and amenities. The proposed new terminal building is located at the terminal end of Wright Brothers Drive. We also propose two ADA parking spaces adjacent to the new terminal building to accommodate handicapped individuals. We propose two parallel parking bays along the northern side of Wright Brothers Drive. These two parallel parking bays have 6 parking stalls each to accommodate an expected increase in airport use. Lastly, we propose a new culvert under the entrance to Wright Brothers drive to prevent overtopping during significant precipitation events. We do not propose altering the design of the entrance to Wright Brothers Drive. Details of our proposed designs can be found herein.