Between April 2022 and February 2023, the 169th Fighter Wing of the South Carolina Air National Guard was temporarily stationed at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport while runway renovations took place at their home at McEntire Joint National Guard Base. (Tracy Glantz/The State via TNS)
(Tribune News Service) — McEntire Joint National Guard Base, home to the 169th Fighter Wing of the South Carolina Air National Guard, has started another construction project as part of its ongoing modernization plan.
The airbase in Richland County, S.C., is working to repair and widen its primary taxiway, which takes planes to and from the runway.
The expansion will increase the airbase’s capacity and improve its ability to run deployments, hurricane responses and multi-agency exercises, according to a press release from the fighter wing. It will also allow a wider range of aircraft to use the base, including larger passenger and cargo planes.
A wider taxiway will improve safety by putting more distance between planes and obstacles such as lights, signage and ground vehicles, according to an email from the 169th Fighter Wing’s public affairs office. Additionally, it will give pilots more room to work with in the case of poor weather or visibility.
Between April 2022 and February 2023, the base’s runway received a $30 million reconstruction, during which the 169th Fighter Wing temporarily relocated its fighter jets to Columbia Metropolitan Airport.
After the runway construction, the airfield is able to meet Air Force requirements that were previously waived for the base.
Unlike the runway renovation, the work on the taxiway will cause “minimal disruption” to the fighter wing’s regular missions, the public affairs office said.
The base is a large employer, claiming nearly 2,600 military personnel and 654 civilian workers as of 2024 while indirectly creating 1,288 other jobs through its local expenditures. It estimates that it had an overall economic impact of $240 million last year.
According to the public affairs office, the influx of workers for the ongoing construction will increase the demand for supplies, food and lodging from local businesses.
There is no expected increase in permanent staffing at the base related to the improvement projects, the 169th Fighter Wing detailed.
Future improvement projects on the way for the base include the construction of a hazardous cargo area and additional improvements to the taxiway and other miscellaneous maintenance and repairs to the base’s facilities.
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