Hi Mark:
Hey, give me a ride sometime, willya!
I got the impression from the FAA guy (Andy Lott), that he wasn't that thrilled with the situation either. In fact, it wasn't until I was talking to him that I realized the hold short line for 28R is now at taxiway alpha.
I know they did some construction out there this summer. Did they widen the runways? Is that why they've moved the hold-short lines?
28L was lengthened (5500ft?) and widened (from 75 ft to 100ft) to accommodate larger jet aircraft. The powers-that-be (FAA, MAC?) then decided to reclassify 28R for the same larger/heavier aircraft, which meant all the hold short lines for 28R had to be moved further from its centerline.
This also had the side effect of removing almost all of the run-up areas for 28R on the north side. One has to do their run-ups on taxiway alpha, which is, needless to say, inconvenient for other airplanes taxiing there. Come summer the problems will intensify.
I don't know of anyone who is happy with this change. I've heard speculation that they might revert 28R back to its old status, but that would mean repainting all the hold short lines and moving the flashing lights to the old position. Personally, I don't believe they are considering changing it back, it seems to me they want to make this change permanent - regardless of the inconvenience and potential safety issues.
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