As much change as Region of Waterloo International Airport has seen in the past few decades, one thing has remained constant: the navigation tower.
Built smack-dab in the centre of the airport grounds in 1969, subsequent runway expansions have left it in a less-than-ideal spot on the western side of the site.
Friday, officials from all levels of government were on hand for a ceremonial groundbreaking on a new tower – one which will return air traffic controllers to the middle of the runways.
“Waterloo’s staff have put up with an older facility for a long time,” Rudy Kellar of Nav Canada said in an interview.
“We just felt, with the growth that we’ve seen in Waterloo and the region … now is the time to invest in such a facility.”
Among the dignitaries on hand was federal transport minister Lisa Raitt, who called airports an important tool for growing communities.
“If you provide a great service, which includes not having to wait in a lot of lines, people are going to flock to it,” she said.
In addition to being in a better location, the new tower will be about five metres taller than the current structure.
The exact cost of the project isn’t being made public, but Kellar pegged it at more than $5 million.
“We’re going to do everything we can to help them – but financially, the majority of the costs are NAVCANADA’s,” airport manager Chris Wood said.
Construction is expected to start shortly, with an estimated completion date of 2017.
The current tower is staffed around the clock, with at least two people on-site.
