Work at airport will cause temporary shut-downs

With all the bad weather that has slammed the East Coast in recent days, the words airport and delay have become synonymous. But in the calmer climes of Cape Girardeau, the airport is trying to deal with some expected delays of its own.

The Cape Girardeau Regional Airport is gearing up to implement a three-phase plan that includes the construction of a new taxiway and reconstruction of the intersection of two runways. The third phase of this project will result in a 10-day closure of the runway to airline traffic.

This $3.5 million project will be funded by a combination of U.S. Department of Transportation grant money released in May, previously obtained entitlement grant funds and $172,500 of the airport's own money. General contractors Emery, Sapp and Sons of Columbia, Mo., will break ground on the project on Oct. 4.

The purpose of the project is to improve the intersection of two runways so they will drain better, rework some ground in one runway safety area and complete the relocation of another taxiway. The new taxiway will run parallel with Runway 1028.

According to airport project assistant Kristi Thurman, the first phase will see the removal of Taxiway A and construction of a haul road for the contractors' use. The second will consist of construction of a new Taxiway A that will be more in-line with the rest of the runway. Phase Three -- which Thurman referred to as the "critical phase" -- is the reconstruction and regrading of the runway intersection. If the plan holds, that final phase will result in the runway being closed to American Connections Airlines traffic from Oct. 31 through Nov. 10.

Whether this will also close the runway to local pilots and planes is as yet unknown.

"We're looking into the possibility of alternatives for general aviation traffic," Thurman said. She said that smaller aircraft may be able to use a portion of the runway during the closure.

Airport manager Bruce Loy said that right now, that possibility is looking doubtful. But he added that he won't know for certain until he hears from the contractor.

trehagen@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137