Work is scheduled to begin next month on a $19 million project to improve the primary runway at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM).

The Birmingham Airport Authority Board has unanimously approved a contract with Birmingham-based Dunn Construction for the work, which will reconstruct part of Runway 6/24.

According to airport officials, the project has been in the works for several years. The work will involve strengthening about 2,000 feet of pavement at the Runway 24 end.

The work comes after an earlier pavement analysis indicated that a section of the runway is below the 20-year design criteria, given the current aircraft mix at the airport.

Officials stressed the runway is not considered unsafe for air traffic, but the improvements will ensure “reliable and safe use well into the future,” according to an announcement.

“Given the increased use of the runway, particularly with heavier cargo operations, this is the right time to proceed with the reconstruction,” said Marcelo Lima, Vice-President of Planning and Development for BAA.

The improvements will include the replacement of pavement that will be installed three feet deep.

The main runway is expected to remain open during construction, though there will be two days where closure will be necessary.

The work will, in effect, temporarily shorten the runway by 4,000 feet with what’s being referred to as a displaced threshold.

“We are already communicating with our airlines and stakeholders to minimize the impact of the work,” said Lima.

Even with the 4,000 feet taken out of commission, the runway will still have 8,000 feet of surface, which officials say is long enough to safely accommodate the largest commercial aircraft flying in and out of Birmingham.

Dunn Construction will employ a minimum of eight sub-contractors, which together will be paid about 54% of the total construction costs.

“The economic impact of a project like this one is considerable,” Ashby Pate, board chair of the BAA, said. “That’s particularly true when you consider that the subs chosen by the General Contractor, most of whom are Alabama-based and many of them Birmingham-based companies, will benefit from the runway work.”

FAA grants will provide 90% of the funding for the project, with 6% covered by the BBA and the remaining 4% from the State of Alabama.

At the same time, BHM will begin implementing a system intended to make finding a space in its parking deck easier.

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