Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport

Site Selection Study, Master Plan & EA

Bentonville, Arkansas

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A replacement air carrier airport was needed to serve the greater-Northwest Arkansas area. The existing airport utilized for airline activity was a shorter length single runway facility that did not meet FAA design criteria and could not be cost effectively upgraded to meet standards and to accept the anticipated larger and faster regional jet fleet. Moreover, the present airport was flanked by rising terrain which made improving the instrument approach capability to the airport difficult. The anticipated replacement air carrier airport would become one of only two new commercial service airports built since DFW and in the last quarter of the 20th Century.

At the heart of Northwest Arkansas’ area population and economic growth were several large entrepreneurial companies including: Wal-Mart, Hudson Foods, J.B. Hunt Transport and Tyson Foods. Also, near-by Fayetteville is home to the University of Arkansas. Further, many communities within the Northwest Arkansas region were experience community growth that had nearly doubled in the last 30 years.

Barnard Dunkelberg & Company was involved in the Site Selection Study for the new airport and we prepared the Environmental Assessment and later, the Airport Master Plan and the Environmental Impact Statement for this replacement air carrier airport.

The project is quite sensitive environmentally. Issues ranged from the finding of endangered species to quality of life considerations and the protection and enhancement of the integrity of the area through creative planning and design techniques.

Project Features

  • Significant regional growth.
  • New air carrier airport.
  • 8,800-foot primary runway recommended.
  • 2,250 acre sites.
  • Environmental sensitivity.
  • Extensive underground hydrological analysis required.
  • Cultural resources survey on two alternative sites.
  • Noise analysis including mitigation to the 60 DNL contour.
  • On-going water quality sampling and analysis program.
  • Planning and Environmental Peer Review for all Engineering Alternatives.

Client:
Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority
Kelly Johnson, A.A.E., Airport Manager
(479) 205-1000