High-speed rail project could be the ticket for airport funding

You probably don't know this but the federal government is planning a high-speed rail project to link Atlanta to Washington, D.C.

And it just could provide a big chunk of the funding for the proposed county airport.

Cherokee County Councilman Bailey Humphries said he learned about the project in a recent meeting with Charlotte-Douglas International Airport Director Jerry Orr.

"I asked him what that building out there was and he told me it was for the new highspeed rail project," Humphries said.

Airports, bus lines, and trolley lines that serve as feeder systems and stopovers for the project could be eligible for federal funding for infrastructure needs and construction of a terminal, according to Humphries.

"We could use the federal funding for infrastructure," he said. "If you want the high-speed rail station in your county, you need a feeder line like a train, trolley or airport."

Humphries said the advantage of having a feeder line is that more money is available from the Department of Transportation rather than the traditional federal source of airport funding, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Humphries cautioned that more research into the matter needs to be done and that the Department of Transportation won't pay for the land acquisition or runway.

The county is considering several locations for the proposed airport, including a parcel near Milliken's Blacksburg plant. But talk of funding for a runway, terminal or infrastructure could be premature.

Presently, a Columbia-based engineering firm is conducting an economic impact study for the proposed airport. The results of that study will likely determine if Cherokee County Council moves forward with the project.