Jun. 14—The Helena Regional Airport resumed commercial flights Monday following its eight-day closure for infrastructure upgrades.
Delta Airlines flight 3873 landed at 11:23 a.m. Monday, 18 minutes early, marking the first commercial use of the new runway, which is expected to last at least 20 years.
Airport Director Jeff Wadekamper said in an interview Monday the project was completed on time and on budget.
"We really appreciate the community's patience," Wadekamper said. "We're happy to have that all behind us."
Crews from Helena Sand & Gravel, Bullock Construction and Schellinger Construction "worked 'round the clock" to bring the $10.8 million project in on time, laying more than 7,200 tons of asphalt a day, according to Wadekamper.
Wadekamper said at the start of the project that the eight-day timeline for overhauling all 9,000 feet of runway was ambitious and would require a "Herculean effort."
"They actually completed the work more quickly than we anticipated," he said, adding that with the extra time, crews were able to begin resurfacing the connecting taxiways, a portion of the project that was not supposed to start until Monday night.
The remaining taxiways are scheduled to be resurfaced overnight in the next few days to keep operations running as usual.
In about 30 days, after the asphalt has time to cure, crews will begin the pavement grooving process, cutting grooves into the surface to allow for better drainage and traction for aircraft. That work will also occur overnight during nonoperational hours.
Even painting the massive runway was no small feat, with more than 6.8 acres of paint needed. Wadekamper said the weather cooperated nicely to allow the paint crew to do its work.
"They were able to work around those windy periods," he said. "I've already heard several people comment that it looks good."
Funding of the $10.8 million project is coming entirely from the federal government. The lion's share is covered by the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program, which is funded through taxes collected on all airline tickets, air cargo and aviation fuel. Typically with FAA grants, a small portion of the total project cost needs to be paid for by the airport as a local match.
With the airport's revenue nose-diving in 2020, Wadekamper said the airport authority was unsure if it would be able to come up with the matching obligation. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act, the Helena Airport Authority received additional federal funds to cover that cost.
Wadekamper said the brand new runway along with complementary infrastructure upgrades made in previous years, chiefly the renovated terminal, goes a long way in attracting new airlines and new flights.
"All those things point to the fact that this airport is in great condition," Wadekamper said.
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