News Nearby: Briscoe Field Control Tower to Close

On Friday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration announced they will close 149 regional airport control towers starting in April.

Lawrenceville's Briscoe Field is on that list. 

The closures are a result of budget cuts. The FAA was forced to cut nearly $600 million dollars from their $48 billion budget according to CNN.com.

The FAA plans to begin shutting down control towers nationwide on April 7th. It should take four weeks close all of the towers.

Patch previously reported that even if the tower at Briscoe Field were to close, the airport could remain open and operating.

Control towers at regional airports in Albany, Athens, Macon and Cobb County are also slated to close. DeKalb Peachtree Airport in Atlanta's tower was spared.

UPDATE 4:13 p.m. - Lawrenceville Patch received the following statement from Joe Sorenson, Communications Director for Gwinnett County via e-mail regarding the tower's closure. Here it is in it's entirety:

"Gwinnett County was notified today that the Air Traffic Control Tower at Gwinnett County Airport Briscoe Field will be closed as a part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) plan to meet the $637 million in cuts required under budget sequestration. Under the plan, FAA will begin a four-week phased closure of 149 federal contract towers beginning April 7. 

"The Air Traffic Control Tower at Gwinnett County Airport Briscoe Field currently operates from 7:00am – 9:00pm daily. It is unclear what impact the closure will have on flight operations The County regrets that the FAA did not grant a waiver with our appeal, but we are hopeful that this is not a permanent or long-term situation.

"Gwinnett County reaffirms our continued commitment to maintaining all other safety and operational aspects at the Airport beyond the Air Traffic Control Tower."