Runway Project at Laconia Airport in NH to Begin

Work is expected to get under way next week on an $8 million runway improvement project at Laconia Airport, according to airport manager Diane Cooper.

She said the Federal Aviation Administration recently awarded Laconia Airport Authority a $2.7 million grant for the project. Earlier this year the FAA awarded the local authority $5 million for the runway improvements. Low bidder for the project, which will take 20 months to complete, was Pike Industries of Belmont. The project will see a new full-length parallel taxiway constructed to the north of the existing runway, repaving of the existing runway and extension of the runway safety areas from 200 feet to 600 feet at both ends of the runway as well as the upgrading of navigation equipment. Cooper said those changes will comply with the FAA's new safety guidelines and are required for the airport to maintain its certification for handling larger aircraft and for instrument landings. Funding for the project is 95 percent federal money collected from the aviation gasoline tax, with 2.5 percent provided by state and 2.5 percent from the airport. Cooper said there are an estimated 40,000 takeoffs and landings a year at the airport, which has an annual impact on the local economy of $49.5 million. She said the construction schedule will work around the airport's two busiest weekends, NASCAR Nextel Cup races in July and September, when the airport is filled with dozens of aircraft from Nextel Cup racing teams.

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