Groundbreaking ceremony for new ATC tower Published March 11, 2011 GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind., -- Officials at Grissom ARB will hold a special groundbreaking ceremony on March 15 to mark the beginning of construction for a new Air Traffic Control Tower. The new Air Traffic Control Tower, with a programmed cost of $7.4 million, will replace an existing structure built in 1965. Estimated completion date for the new Tower is 2012. "The new Air Traffic Control Tower will provide tremendous benefits for all military, civilian and commercial aviation in the North Central Indiana region," stated Lt. Col. Gary Lockard, chief of public affairs. "Many Indiana residents do not realize the Air Traffic Controllers at Grissom are responsible for the airspace between Chicago and Indianapolis. In recent years, the airspace under control of Grissom's Air Traffic Controllers has increased and now ranges all the way to Lafayette, Ind." When complete, the nine-story Air Traffic Control Tower will provide Grissom's ATC with increased visibility, space for a control tower simulator to enhance training, increased security, office space for administrative functions, and enhanced environmental controls such as heating and air conditioning. The new Air Traffic Control Tower, along with the recently completed Radar Approach Control Center, will provide Grissom with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities that benefit all aviation in the region.
