Mobile Downtown Airport (Gulf Shores: relocation, office, deal)

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by Suesbal

The reason for that is Mobile Downtown Airport was the city’s first airport. When the government took it over and converted it to Brookley Army Air Field (later Air Force Base), Bates Field moved west to its current location. Now Mobile has two civilian airports with long runways, but the city is not big enough to need airline service at both.
Brookley was Mobile’s largest employer at one point. It had a warehouse complex and a maintenance base.

I think the plan is to close the current airport to passenger service when the new terminal is built and operational at Brookley. So there won't be two operating simultaneously, except possibly for a short time during the transition.

To me, seems like it would be more cost effective to improve access to the current airport and leave Brookley to Airbus, but nobody asked me.

[Southsky]

Originally Posted by Suesbal

The reason for that is Mobile Downtown Airport was the city’s first airport. When the government took it over and converted it to Brookley Army Air Field (later Air Force Base), Bates Field moved west to its current location. Now Mobile has two civilian airports with long runways, but the city is not big enough to need airline service at both.
Brookley was Mobile’s largest employer at one point. It had a warehouse complex and a maintenance base.

I am sure we all appreciate the history lesson. No one is saying both airports *need* to be passenger airports.

[Southsky]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

To me, seems like it would be more cost effective to improve access to the current airport and leave Brookley to Airbus, but nobody asked me.

They actually studied this early on to see if a limited access highway from I-10 to MOB would improve accessibility enough to pay for itself. The study said essentially that it would be best to spend the money required for this limited access highway on a new terminal downtown instead.

[PortCity]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

I think the plan is to close the current airport to passenger service when the new terminal is built and operational at Brookley. So there won't be two operating simultaneously, except possibly for a short time during the transition.

To me, seems like it would be more cost effective to improve access to the current airport and leave Brookley to Airbus, but nobody asked me.

To give you a perspective imagine taking Wall Triana Blvd sw to Glen Martin Park. So Wall Triana Blvd would be our Airport Blvd but with the traffic and business of University Blvd maybe a little more traffic than University in Huntsville tbh. And our airport would be Glen Martin Park off of Wall Triana Blvd. I chose Glen Martin Park because they both are about the same distance from I-65 and I -565.

Your current airport would be Brookley with the same access to I-10 as your airport is to I-565. It never made sense to travel up Wall Triana to Glen Martin Park( Mobile Regional) .When Brookley is right there off of I-10 ( I-565).

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by PortCity

To give you a perspective imagine taking Wall Triana Blvd sw to Glen Martin Park. So Wall Triana Blvd would be our Airport Blvd but with the traffic and business of University Blvd maybe a little more traffic than University in Huntsville tbh. And our airport would be Glen Martin Park off of Wall Triana Blvd. I chose Glen Martin Park because they both are about the same distance from I-65 and I -565.

Your current airport would be Brookley with the same access to I-10 as your airport is to I-565. It never made sense to travel up Wall Triana to Glen Martin Park( Mobile Regional) .When Brookley is right there off of I-10 ( I-565).

Yeah, that sounds like a total pain to get to, especially if leaving from the downtown area. When the current Huntsville airport was opened in 1968, it was pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. Access was via Alabama Hwy 20, which at the time (I'm almost positive) was a two lane highway to Decatur. Of course, the airport wasn't nearly as busy as it is now (or was, prior to Covid - hopefully it'll be back to normal soon). Hwy 20 was 4-laned at some point, I think probably a couple of years after the airport was opened, then I-565 was built and opened around 1990. By that time the airport was pretty busy. Before Covid, it was seeing a 25% increase in passenger traffic per year, or at least for a couple of years. It's quite easy to get to now, just 12 miles or so SW of downtown, but 25 miles from Hampton Cove and maybe 50 miles from Guntersville and other outlying towns. Still pretty accessible tho. However, it's very close to much of the Arsenal and Research Park and Redstone Gateway, which is where virtually all the business travelers originate. When I lived in south Huntsville, it'd take me about 45 minutes to get to there for business travel (sometimes leaving home at 5 a.m.), but now I'm 2 miles away as the crow flies, 6 or 7 road miles, and it takes about 15 minutes, depending on time of day.

Just an anecdote - when the airport was in the old location, takeoffs or landings (depending on wind direction) was over Parkway City. You could be in the parking lot and darn near count the rivets on planes that were taking off. That had to be potentially dangerous.

I suppose when Mobile opened the current airport they expected growth to be to the west, and didn't envision the traffic level that now stymies access.

[PortCity]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

Yeah, that sounds like a total pain to get to, especially if leaving from the downtown area. When the current Huntsville airport was opened in 1968, it was pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. Access was via Alabama Hwy 20, which at the time (I'm almost positive) was a two lane highway to Decatur. Of course, the airport wasn't nearly as busy as it is now (or was, prior to Covid - hopefully it'll be back to normal soon). Hwy 20 was 4-laned at some point, I think probably a couple of years after the airport was opened, then I-565 was built and opened around 1990. By that time the airport was pretty busy. Before Covid, it was seeing a 25% increase in passenger traffic per year, or at least for a couple of years. It's quite easy to get to now, just 12 miles or so SW of downtown, but 25 miles from Hampton Cove and maybe 50 miles from Guntersville and other outlying towns. Still pretty accessible tho. However, it's very close to much of the Arsenal and Research Park and Redstone Gateway, which is where virtually all the business travelers originate. When I lived in south Huntsville, it'd take me about 45 minutes to get to there for business travel (sometimes leaving home at 5 a.m.), but now I'm 2 miles away as the crow flies, 6 or 7 road miles, and it takes about 15 minutes, depending on time of day.

Just an anecdote - when the airport was in the old location, takeoffs or landings (depending on wind direction) was over Parkway City. You could be in the parking lot and darn near count the rivets on planes that were taking off. That had to be potentially dangerous.

I suppose when Mobile opened the current airport they expected growth to be to the west, and didn't envision the traffic level that now stymies access.

I don't think they did either.

[Surge0001]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

Yeah, that sounds like a total pain to get to, especially if leaving from the downtown area. When the current Huntsville airport was opened in 1968, it was pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. Access was via Alabama Hwy 20, which at the time (I'm almost positive) was a two lane highway to Decatur. Of course, the airport wasn't nearly as busy as it is now (or was, prior to Covid - hopefully it'll be back to normal soon). Hwy 20 was 4-laned at some point, I think probably a couple of years after the airport was opened, then I-565 was built and opened around 1990. By that time the airport was pretty busy. Before Covid, it was seeing a 25% increase in passenger traffic per year, or at least for a couple of years. It's quite easy to get to now, just 12 miles or so SW of downtown, but 25 miles from Hampton Cove and maybe 50 miles from Guntersville and other outlying towns. Still pretty accessible tho. However, it's very close to much of the Arsenal and Research Park and Redstone Gateway, which is where virtually all the business travelers originate. When I lived in south Huntsville, it'd take me about 45 minutes to get to there for business travel (sometimes leaving home at 5 a.m.), but now I'm 2 miles away as the crow flies, 6 or 7 road miles, and it takes about 15 minutes, depending on time of day.

Just an anecdote - when the airport was in the old location, takeoffs or landings (depending on wind direction) was over Parkway City. You could be in the parking lot and darn near count the rivets on planes that were taking off. That had to be potentially dangerous.

I suppose when Mobile opened the current airport they expected growth to be to the west, and didn't envision the traffic level that now stymies access.

Yup, as you well know, many planners in the State of Alabama are/were not blessed with hindsight

[Southsky]

Looks like Phase 1 (late 2024 opening) for the new downtown terminal will include 5 general-use (C.U.T.E.) contact gates (jetways) and 1 or 2 tarmac gates along with a 5/6 level parking garage. 1 of these contact gates will be a "swing" gate so that the gate can service domestic and international traffic. (The boarding door would "swing" so that the access to the general area of the terminal would be blocked for incoming international traffic and redirect the deplaning passengers to the customs area.) The first phase would include this USCIS sterile screening area. The airport authority is already planning for international charter flights to begin once Phase 1 opens.

Highlights of Phase 1:

• 5 contact gates
• 1/2 tarmac gates
• Customs facility
• 3 security lanes
• 2 baggage claim belts
• 5 concessions areas
• 5 or 6 level parking garage
• Remote "economy" parking lots
• Cell phone waiting lot
• Rental car facility in parking deck

Once Phase 1 is completed, design for Phase 2 will commence, along with construction, which will increase the size of the terminal and accommodate 8 contact gates and 2 tarmac gates, in addition to more concessions, et cetera. This would be turn key by 2030. Later phases would take the terminal to its max extent given the available footprint: 11 contact gates.

[PortCity]

What are the plans for the west Mobile location after 2024 ?

New Mall hopefully lol.

[Southsky]

Originally Posted by PortCity

What are the plans for the west Mobile location after 2024 ?

New Mall hopefully lol.

Keeping it as an airport. They will convert the passenger terminal to office space, I believe.