The state of Tennessee‘s 2023 budget includes $11 million for a new general aviation airport in Oak Ridge.
The airport will be at the East Tennessee Technology Park, a 1,300-acre industrial site near the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The project is expected to cost about $55 million and will include funding from various sources, including local and federal funding, according to a news release from the Tennessee Republican Caucus.
The $11 million in the fiscal 2023 budget will be used towards the purchase of property this year.
An Environmental Assessment and Preliminary Engineering study is being prepared for the project, and other planning efforts are underway, according to state officials. The goal is to have the airport completed by 2025.
It’s refreshing to see this, especially in my state. Most headlines concerning airports are about closing them, so this is very welcome news..