Moriarty Airport Getting Crosswind Runway; FAA Paying For Most of $2.5M Job

The Moriarty Municipal Airport seems to be winning this leg of a race against time.

Construction of a roughly $2.5 million crosswind runway is progressing at a good pace, according to airport manager Bob Hudson .

The majority of the job is being paid for by the Federal Aviation Administration.

"They're moving dirt like crazy and the weather is being cooperative," Hudson said.

Once the dirt work is done, truckloads of asphalt will be laid down. But the temperature has to be right for that to happen.

If winter weather hits before the hard surface can be put down, the project could see some significant delays, Hudson said.

"They need good temperatures to lay the asphalt down," he said.

Meanwhile, the airport is continuing to see an uptick in interest, he said. Three locals are looking to move into hangars he said, and there are a few more waiting in the wings, so to speak.

"They're really nervous about the economy and they don't know what's going to happen with the election," he said.

Hudson said he thinks a hangar is actually a pretty good investment, though.

"There's always somebody looking for hangar space," he said. "People's first purchase is often an airplane, without a lot of thought about where they're going to put the thing."

That's why hangar space is usually a hot commodity, he said.

The airport is also starting to look into another FAA grant.

In September, the city established a commercial area north of the existing runway and west of the crosswind runway.

"We're just starting to explore grants from the FAA for the commercial space," Hudson said.

There have already been companies expressing interest in obtaining a place at the airport, he said.

Hudson, who is a part time employee of the city, has put a lot of sweat into the recent developments at the airport. He said he spends about a lot of hours each week working there, and he actually isn't paid for most of that time.

"I knew that when I went into this that this was what it was going to be like," he said. "I fly out of this airport too and I want to see this airport succeed."