Columbus Airport gets $24M to rebuild a runway. How will construction impact flights?
The Columbus Airport is getting big money from the federal government to help fully reconstruct a runway, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday.
The FAA will provide $24.4 million to the Columbus Airport to reconstruct runway 6/24, which needs to be rebuilt due to normal wear and tear and storm drain issues. The airport’s total project was expected to cost $36.5 million. Airport officials didn’t immediately say whether they have the rest of the money accounted for.
This construction is expected to start in March and take 103 days to finish, according to airport officials. The closure of this runway “will suspend all commercial, large general aviation, and military operations during the construction of the project,” the Columbus Airport said in a news release previously.
The Columbus Airport has two asphalt runways. The other will remain open for most of the time that this project is ongoing, aside from a one-week span in which both will need to be closed.
“The typical lifespan of an asphalt runway is around forty years, as a runway approaches this age it will be assessed for reconstruction,” Airport Director Amber Clark said in a written statement. “Throughout the life of a runway preventative maintenance is conducted to extend the life of the runway as much as possible.
“As we have maintained the runway through regular maintenance, resealing of cracks, milling and refilling the layers over the years, it has been determined that our runway has reached its useful life and is due for reconstruction.”
The $24.4 million the Columbus Airport will receive is part of $1.9 billion in grants awarded across the United States, according to the FAA.
This story was originally published September 10, 2024 at 11:52 AM.