A grant from the state Department of Transportation is helping lay the groundwork for an expansion of Mississippi State University’s SMART system to the Golden Triangle Regional Airport.
MDOT has awarded more than $3 million to 17 airports across the state, including $31,300 to GTR to install a bus waiting area and $45,485 to George M. Bryan Field in Starkville for ground support equipment.
GTR Executive Director Mike Hainsey said the funding will pay for a bus shelter similar to the ones the SMART system uses in Starkville.
SMART, or Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit, is a public transit system operated by MSU. The university splits funding for the system with MDOT.
MSU is eyeing an expansion of the system to GTR, which Hainsey said could then be used to provide service to area industries.
“They were working with MDOT to get a grant for some equipment to start the bus system to run from Starkville to the different industries, including Yokohama, Steel Dynamics, Paccar and all the ones out in this area,” Hainsey said. “They thought it would be good if they could use GTR as a hub, to run a bus from Starkville to GTR then hub out from here.”
There’s no set date yet on when SMART service may begin running to GTR, but extra funding for the service extension is included in the system’s Fiscal Year 2016 funding proposal.
Hainsey said the bus stop will be the same as those already scattered along the SMART routes in Starkville. The grant will effectively pay for all installation costs. The airport will not need to install any other additional infrastructure, such as pavement, to accommodate the buses, according to Hainsey.
“Just prior to where you enter the overhang for the terminal, we have a nice, open concrete area,” he said. “So it will fit very nicely there.”
MSU is the largest single customer for GTR, Hainsey said, and the expanded transportation offers should help to better serve students and residents.
“Aside from cost savings for the people, obviously it’s a green initiative,” he later added. “Mass transit — we love being at the leading edge of it and I applaud (MSU Transportation, Parking and Sustainability Director Jeremiah Dumas) and the people with the SMART bus program for these ideas.”
Grant use at Starkville airport
At Starkville’s George M. Bryan Field, $45,485 in MDOT funding will pay for two new pieces of ground support equipment, according to airport manager Rodney Lincoln.
The grant will allow the airport to purchase a new electric tow dolly and a gas-powered start cart.
Lincoln said the start cart can be used to start an aircraft without placing load on the battery. He said pilots prefer to have a jump start in winter and the worst part of the summer to avoid battery stress.
The airport will use the tow dolly to move larger aircraft after they’ve landed — a capability currently lacked at the airport.
“Right now we can’t move them,” he said. “What this does is, it picks up the front wheel, then you’re able to move any aircraft — not helicopters — around on the field. That’s going to be great.”
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