Gainesville Regional Airport opened its new entrance road Tuesday as one of the first steps in an airport-area expansion process.
In a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the airport celebrated the opening of Major General John R. Alison Avenue, a $2.4 million access road that connects the commercial terminal loop to Waldo Road.
The road was constructed using state and federal grants and was named after the well-known, highly decorated World War II airman and UF alumnus Alison.
The construction of the road has been in the works for more than a decade and was part of the airport’s second phase of development, said GRA spokeswoman Laura Aguiar. The first phase of the plan designated 40 acres between the airport runway and the Alachua County Fairgrounds to serve as land for future development.
“It’s an economic development project,” Aguiar said.
Restaurants, hotels and a pet boarding center are examples of businesses the airport is hoping to attract, Aguiar said.
Frequent flyers should be aware the exit from the new road crosses over the car rental return area, which could cause confusion to customers driving to their terminal, she said.
Hannah Lutz, a 20-year-old UF nursing sophomore, said she uses the airport to and from Miami.
Lutz said she thinks the access road and airport-area expansion could make traveling more convenient.
Aguiar said that road has the potential to affect students like Lutz and members of the Gainesville community in a positive way. Expansion promises jobs and opportunities for students to look for new employers and internship opportunities, Aguiar said.
“As Gainesville grows, the airport grows,” she said.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 3/19/2014 under the headline "Gainesville airport opens new access road to help travelers"]
