Idaho Falls Regional Airport Master Plan

Existing conditions relative to the airport’s facilities and operating environment will be obtained and documented through review of prior studies, observation, interviews with airport staff and stakeholders, and other applicable information.

Facility requirements are primarily determined by technical analysis of existing facility data relative to forecast demand. For those facilities whereby a technical analysis cannot be used to assess facility needs, stakeholder input, industry standards, and professional judgment are relied upon to establish future needs. In some cases, facility improvements are based on a prescribed calendar schedule. In other cases, facility requirements will rely upon demand level trigger points to establish a need for additional capacity. A trigger point is the point at which demand exceeds capacity, degrading facility performance or level-of-service, and triggering a need for an improved or expanded facility. Public input will include opportunities to comment on future stakeholder needs and to learn more about FAA regulations and other development criteria and factors. The results of the facility requirements analysis will provide the foundation for alternatives development.

Alternatives development begins with developing evaluation criteria based on the facility requirements. Next, alternative concepts for future airport development are roughed out. These concepts are then evaluated so that alternatives that meet the evaluation criteria, and therefore meet facility needs, will move forward. Alternatives that meet the criteria are further refined and evaluated again against the criteria. At the end of this step, a draft preferred alternative will be selected by the Airport, taking public and stakeholder input into consideration.

Based on the results of evaluation and public input, the Airport will select a single preferred alternative that best meets the goals and objectives defined during project initiation, reflected in the evaluation criteria. Selecting the preferred alternative is the key decision to be made in the Plan process.

The facilities implementation plan provides recommendations on how to implement and fund the Plan and the preferred alternative. This often includes a development schedule, cost estimates, financial projections, identification of interrelated projects, and special considerations. Airport drawings that make up the Airport Layout Plan will depict proposed developments that make up the preferred alternative.

Plan conditions, findings, and development plans will be documented in a draft and final report. The report will include a summary of public involvement activities, evaluation of the process, and outcomes. The report will include a financial feasibility analysis for identified improvements. The Final Report will be published and made available, including a Comment-Response Report.