Manhattan Regional Airport Extends Closure for Runway Expansion

Apr. 13—Officials have expanded the closure of Manhattan Regional Airport to accommodate its runway reconstruction.

Airport director Brandon Keazer said American Airlines officials made the decision to suspend operations in Manhattan "a little earlier" and to bring services back "a little later" in order to work around the project schedule.

Keazer said American Airlines decided to stop flights on May 5, instead of May 12 when the runway will be officially closed for the next phase of construction lasting several months. Keazer anticipates the runway construction project will be completed by Sept. 1, but he said American Airlines plans to return service on Sept. 5 to work around the construction schedule.

Keazer told The Mercury that he's working with the airline to bring flights back on Sept. 1, ahead of the first Kansas State University home football game of the season.

"There will be a significant travel demand, so we're working to adjust that (timing) with them, make them aware of a big event coming," Keazer said.

Flights into and out of Manhattan Regional Airport will remain suspended during the runway construction project this summer, even though that project is moving ahead of schedule. Flights are being diverted to other airports during the Manhattan airport closure.

Keazer told The Mercury that Clarkson Construction crews have already "rubblized" the pavement on Runway 3/21, the airport's main runway, and that concrete will be poured over the crumbled surface later this week. The "rubblization" technique allows construction crews to apply new layers of asphalt and concrete along the 150-foot-wide runway, as it breaks up and smooths out the runway surface.

Crews laid a 5-inch asphalt base over the rubblized pavement, and then will pour a 10.5-inch concrete surface over top. Other outside sections around the runway will get a 12-inch surface with no base.

The plan also calls for the reconstruction of the secondary runway, as well as adjacent intersections and five taxiways. One taxiway will be removed because of a change in FAA design standards, and more lights and navigational aids will be placed along the runway.

The total cost for the project is $34.8 million, including planning and design. The FAA paid for $28.5 million of the project, a U.S. Department of Defense program's share is $3.196 million, and the city is paying $3.2 million, which will be paid through general obligation bonds.

The last time the runways were repaved was in 1979; both runways have exceeded their 20-year useful lives. The runway construction master plan was started in July 2018 and officially completed in fall 2020.

___

Visit The Manhattan Mercury, Kan. at www.themercury.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.