by Bay City News
Federal and local officials gathered under a cloudless blue sky at Oakland International Airport Friday morning to dedicate a new air traffic control tower meant to help modernize the airport and cement its status as a major transportation hub.
The gleaming 236-foot tower and its 14,000-square-foot base building replace two air traffic control towers that served the airport for more than 40 years. Officials say the new facility will make air travel at the airport safer and will allow for more flights there by streamlining air traffic control into one tower.
"This modernized, taller tower gives controllers dramatically better airfield views, which helps enhance safety," Federal Aviation Administration administrator Michael Huerta said. "The tower also includes a host of green features that make it one of the FAA's most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly structures," Huerta said. The project also netted $33.2 million in federal stimulus spending, the largest grant to the FAA under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, FAA officials said.
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