TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
As he escorts a community group through the striking new Jim Yates terminal at the Texarkana Regional Airport, Executive Director Paul Mehrlich expresses pride at the fact that his name, along with other airport and city officials, will be permanently displayed on a bronze plaque in the terminal lobby. However, he quickly points out that he is only a piece of the vision established many years ago to build a unique and beautiful terminal in Texarkana, USA. The terminal officially opened with a celebratory ribbon cutting on Friday, June 28, and the first flight taking off on July 1, 2024. A ccording to Greg Bischof, in a 2011 article published in the Texarkana Gazette , the airport started commercial passenger flights in June 1931 with American Airways, which later transitioned to American Airlines. Service was suspended from 1934 until 1943 to lengthen the runway and light the airfield. Once known as the Texarkana Municipal Airport, it returned to passenger service by 1948 and eventually became a regional service provider, which continues today. These early milestones contributed to its growth and expansion, resulting in the new and improved airport we are experiencing today. The Texarkana Regional Airport has a lasting place in the transportation infrastructure of Southwest Arkansas, Northeast Texas, and beyond. Texarkana icon Prissy Hickerson, who served as Highway Commissioner for ten years and three terms as State Representative in Arkansas, was instrumental in setting the stage for the new terminal years ago. Only the third female to ever serve on the Highway Commission, Hickerson was appointed by then-Governor Mike Huckabee and made it her mission to look out for Southwest Arkansas. With approximately $50 million annually plus additional federal funding earmarked for projects in the coffers, she prioritized completing Interstate 49 (I-49) from Highway 71 North to the Louisiana line. The project had been on the drawing board for fifty years and was crucial for the
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COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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