Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport finally gets its new control tower. Why it's such a big deal

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport has dedicated its new air traffic control tower, replacing an outdated tower that dates back to the airport's past life as an Air Force base.

The tower will go into service Saturday.

At the dedication ceremony on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Arizona, called the new tower "an essential investment" in the airport's future.

He said modernizing the airport's infrastructure will "help it become an even more forceful economic engine for the East Valley and Arizona."

Airport officials and elected leaders see the new control tower's debut as a launch point for future economic expansion.

Also at Mesa Gateway: New restaurants, big upgrades are coming. What flyers can expect

Why the old tower has safety issues

Gateway Airport's existing control tower was built in 1970 and is a relic from when the airport was known as Williams Air Force Base and served as a training ground for Air Force pilots.

When it became a commercial airport, its staff recognized the air traffic control tower was too short and the cab — the room at the top where the controllers work — was too small to support an airport with three 10,000-foot runways, airport director Brian O'Neill said.

Recent growth in passenger traffic and the East Valley economy made getting a new tower built even more pressing, said Mesa Mayor John Giles, who served as chair of the Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport Authority during the tower's planning and construction.

He said a Federal Aviation Administration study showed that the old tower was not safe, in part because its height did not allow controllers to see the end of the runway.

"This isn't a luxury," Giles told The Republic. "It's an overdue necessity."

But to get the tower built, airport officials had to convince Congress it was a necessity. Federal law needed to be changed to allow the tower's construction.

Background: Why Gateway Airport getting a new air traffic control tower is a big deal

New tower is named for John McCain

The new tower is named the John S. McCain III Control Tower, in memory of the late U.S. senator.

Before his death in 2018, the Arizona Republican pushed to repeal an archaic FAA rule that limited Gateway Airport's ability to build the tower.

Under this rule, which was intended for smaller airports not managing the type of growth Gateway is experiencing, airport staff couldn't spend more than $2 million on construction costs, airport spokesman Ryan Smith said.

"We weren't looking for money," Smith said. We wanted to spend our own money the way we wanted."

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, signed by former President Donald Trump, eliminated that spending limit and allowed construction of the $30 million tower to proceed.

"Completion of the John S. McCain III Air Traffic Control Tower is the culmination of years of hard work and determination by our local, state and federal leaders," Brigette Peterson, chair of the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority, said in a statement. "This bipartisan effort will help Gateway Airport continue to grow and create high-wage jobs across greater Phoenix."

Gateway's growth: This metro Phoenix airport has more passengers than ever. Here's how much traffic is up

How the new tower will improve safety, efficiency

What makes the new tower different, Smith said, is the inclusion of these new features:

• It has more space to accommodate more controllers. There are eight work stations,  double what the existing tower has.

• The air traffic control manager gets a desk. In the existing tower, the manager has to stand.

• One of the lower levels includes a conference room for meetings and training, a feature not in the old tower.

• The new tower will be the first in the nation to have an all-LED beacon light at the top. Most control towers use halogen beacon lights. These yield brighter light and are more energy- and cost-efficient.

Taken together, these features aim to enhance efficiency in the region's air traffic control and improve the safety of flights within the tower's airspace, Smith said.

"We can handle more controllers, so you have more people observing the airspace and a bigger picture view of the airfield," he said.

Gateway Airport's old and new towers by the numbers

The new tower, which measures just under 200 feet tall, is 60% bigger than its predecessor, Smith said. Gateway Airport's existing tower is about 120 feet tall.

It takes 269 steps to get from the bottom of the tower to its cab without using the elevator, Smith said. The trek on the existing tower required 132 steps.

Here are more facts about the towers:

New control tower

• Height: 199 feet tall.

• Cab size: 550 square feet.

• Steps from bottom floor to bottom of cab: 269.

• Cost to build: $30 million.

• Entering service: Aug. 27.

Old control tower

• Height: 120 feet tall.

• Cab size: 225 square feet.

• Steps from bottom floor to bottom of cab: 132.

• Entered service: 1970.

Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport gets new air traffic control tower