(07-23-2013 08:17 AM)WVMntneer Wrote: Hopefully Yeager will improve its overall size. Expansion of runways and additional flights would help in all areas of commerce.
The runways at Yeager have been extended as far as they can be extended. Yeager Airport was built on the top of 3 close hilltops. The tops of the hills were removed, filling the valley between the 3 hilltops, turning all 3 hills into a mountaintop plateau overlooking the Elk River. The runways were extended to their present size about 35 years ago. Any further extension would require moving mountains...
It would have been far better if Charleston and Huntington had voted to approve the big regional airport in Teays Valley back in the 1960s. That was proposed, and it would have been a possible selection as a hub airport when completed. Charleston had put together a package to compete with Charlotte for a regional hub airport, and only needed the City of Huntington to get on board to get the political approval needed to build a large regional airport that would serve 2 cities separated by only 53 miles...
But Huntington voted against it, like they did with every project that could have helped the City of Huntington in those days. So instead of one very large airport serving both Charleston and Huntington, located about halfway between the 2 cities on fairly flat ground, each city has their own small mountain top airport. Instead of having I-64 through the City of Huntington, it bypasses the town. The Huntington Mall is in Barboursville, which is sitting pretty financially, unlike Huntington, which is broke...
Charleston, on the other hand, has freeways (
I-64, I-77, I-79) through the city, a large mall in the center of town, and is still evolving...
If only there was more business in the area. That probably would have happened had that airport been built. But Huntington didn't want to become subordinate to Charleston, so they decided to cut both city's throats...
