Provo officials pushing for radar at airport

PROVO — Armed with new evidence, Provo officials are making a big push for a radar system at Provo Municipal Airport.

First, though, the city and airport leaders will have to convince the Federal Aviation Administration the radar system is a much-needed improvement.

While it's unclear whether the requested radar system could have prevented last week's plane crash that claimed the lives of three Utah County men, the urgency for the system had been building long before the accident.

Airport Manager Steve Gleason, who has been one of the loudest voices in the effort to gain the system, declined to talk this week about the issue.

"Pending the FAA's investigation, it would be very inappropriate for me to comment on that," Gleason said.

However, Gleason addressed the subject at a meeting of the Utah Air Travel Commission last Wednesday, one day prior to the fatal crash.

At that meeting, Gleason said the Provo area is in a "radar shadow" that impacts operations not only at Provo Municipal but also at Salt Lake International. And as the airport continues its rapid growth, with a projected 175,000 operations for the year ending June 30, up from an estimated 147,000 during the year before, the problem is only going to grow.

According to an FAA Web site, that shadow prevents any object below 8,000 feet in the Provo area from being seen on radar systems in Salt Lake County, limiting the service Provo Municipal can provide.

"As our jet traffic continues to increase, as it has been ... there are going to be delays (in service)," Gleason said last week.

The installation of a radar system at Provo Municipal Airport has been ongoing battle. In 2001, Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, pushed for a temporary radar system, which was used at Provo Municipal during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, to be left there until a permanent radar facility was installed.

The campaign to keep the radar in Provo after the Games was unsuccessful.

In 2002, committee members of the FAA's National Airspace Redesign initiative suggested a radar system be installed at Provo Municipal to improve coverage for aircraft approaching Salt Lake International Airport from the southwest and also as a benefit for the host airport.

Provo Mayor Lewis Billings said the problem with getting a radar system for Provo is one of making sure decision-makers have the proper information.