Colorado to Commence ADS-B Project for Mountain Airports

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) intends to provide radar-like surveillance for its mountain airports, using an ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast)-based system.

The project, formally called the Colorado Air Traffic Control Beacon Interrogator, or CO-ATCBI, would be certified by the FAA for use in the National Air Space System.  Sensis Corporation has been selected to implement the first phase of the $15-million total project.

The CDOT's Division of Aeronautics began looking for ways to better maintain positional surveillance of the large number of aircraft flying into the state's ski-resort airports during the winter months, and to improve their management.  Because of the high cost of traditional radars, CDOT officials, working with the FAA decided to use a combination of existing and next-generation technologies to provide improved surveillance, but at a substantially lower cost.

The system will use a number of distributed sensors that utilize information from existing aircraft transponders to determine an aircraft's position and report it to Denver's air route traffic control center, where it will be displayed as a standard radar target to controllers.

The first phase of the project will provide coverage to airports in Hayden, Rifle, Steamboat Springs and Craig.  It will cost $4.7 million and be operational by the 2008 ski season.  The size and definition of the second phase won't be finalized until this fall, but officials expect it to include coverage for the airports at Montrose, Telluride, Gunnison, Cortez, Durango and Alamosa, at a cost about $10 million.

Once complete, the FAA will assume the system's ownership, including operations and maintenance costs throughout its expected 15-to-20- year life.  06-19-2007.

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