College Park Airport was established in 1909 by the United States Army Signal Corps to serve as a training location for Wilbur Wright to instruct two military officers to fly in the government's first airplane. Civilian aircraft began flying from College Park Airport as early as the end of 1911, making it the world's oldest continuously operated airport.
In the spring of 2016, Urban was selected for a five-year on-call contract with the airport and tasked with performing a comprehensive airfield assessment to determine infrastructure needs in the coming five years. Urban worked closely with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC) and the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) to develop scope, schedule, and preliminary design plans, as well as estimated costs for design and construction and phasing. The firm explored and coordinated options for grant assistance with the MAA’s Office of Regional Aviation Assistance. Urban evaluated runway and taxiway pavement rehabilitation; electrical systems, including proposed LED Precision Approach Path Indicators and runway edge lights; proposed T-hangar apron and taxilanes; and new pavement markings.
