Submitted by the Johnston County Economic Development Office
SMITHFIELD — Johnston County Regional Airport (JNX) will be home to a $22 million facility that will house the North Carolina Highway Patrol’s Special Operations Division. Local and state officials recently announced plans for the 60,000-sq.-ft. complex.
“We are excited for what this new facility will bring to our state and for our growing partnership with Johnston Regional Airport,” said Colonel Freddy L. Johnson, Jr., Commander of the State Highway Patrol. “This groundbreaking is setting the stage for the expanded capabilities of our State Highway Patrol Aviation Unit, which equates to furthering our mission of saving lives and providing the best in law enforcement services to the people of North Carolina.”
The facility will be located near the intersection of Swift Creek Road and U.S. Highway 70 Business in Smithfield. Bobbitt Construction will design and build the space, which will contain state-of-the-art air and water rescue equipment, training rooms, offices and a hangar area. SHP currently houses these resources across several sites and the new center at JNX will enable the Patrol to consolidate Special Operations resources under one roof. JNX will own the facility and lease it to the SHP on a long-term basis, said David Harris, Director of JNX.
“The Center will be home to helicopter operations, tactical units, motorcycle teams and other specialized groups that answer the call when North Carolinians need them most,” said Ken Starling, JNX Airport Board Chairman. “To have this level of capability based right here in Johnston County is both an honor and a responsibility.”
Local elected officials similarly welcomed the announcement. “This facility is going to be more than asphalt and concrete and steel,” said Butch Lawter, Chairman of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners. “It’s a commitment to lives, emergencies and public safety, which ties in well with our six high county priorities.”
Today’s announcement is the latest evidence of JNX’s rapid growth. In July, the airport closed on the purchase of an additional 26.4 acres on the property’s east side adjacent Highway 70 Business. The acquisition will facilitate expansion of hangar space to accommodate as many as 40 business jets. Plans also are coming together to construct an 85-foot control tower on the airport’s east side, Harris said.
Data compiled by the N.C. DOT’s Aviation Division confirm JNX’s growing economic, commercial and civic significance. The facility ranks third in the state in terms of take-offs and landings, totaling nearly 102,000 last year. The airport supports 1,385 jobs and generates nearly $21 million in tax revenue and almost $318 million in total impact.
Blue Line Aviation, a national flight school, trains commercial pilots at JNX, operating flight simulators, hangar space, classrooms, dining facilities and maintenance areas there. JNX is also home base for Duke Life Flight, which operates two state-of-the-art rotor wing critical-care air ambulances from offices and hangar space in Smithfield.
“JNX is rapidly becoming one of Johnston County’s most important economic development assets,” said Ed Aldridge, Chairman of the Johnston County Economic Development Advisory Board and a member of the JNX Authority Board. “It’s always been an important resource for our community, but it is now increasingly a regional transportation asset,” he said.
