The second and final phase of reconstruction on Friedman Memorial Airport's single runway will lead to the daytime interruption of flight operations on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 1 and 2.
The runway will be closed to all aircraft from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. over those two days in order to allow work crews to safely paint all required striping and other runway markings on the new surface. In addition, the runway safety areas will be seeded with grass during that time.
Airport Manager Rick Baird said in an interview last month that some flight operations will be allowed in the morning and evening.
The second phase will officially begin on Monday, Sept. 24, at which point crews will work from 10:15 p.m. to 7 a.m. cutting horizontal grooves into the pavement for the full length of the airport's sole runway. The pavement grooving will provide appropriate drainage and traction on the new surface, which was constructed during the first phase that took place from April 24 through May 23.
This portion of the approximately $5 million reconstruction project is scheduled to take between four and five nights. Because the groove cutting will be done at night, travelers shouldn't experience any inconvenience, Baird said.
"The grooving shouldn't affect flight operations," Baird said. "It will be closed on that last SkyWest flight, which usually arrives around 10 p.m., but we'll just have to work around that."
At a meeting of the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority on Aug. 7, Baird told board members that despite the fact that the work will be done at night, there will be little impact on nearby residents from the noise and light created.
The final part of Phase 2 will be two days of cleanup, with the entire project scheduled for completion by Oct. 5.
The reconstruction project was deemed necessary in June 2006 when it was discovered that unreleased moisture had led to severe deterioration of the runway.
The bulk of runway reparations at Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey was completed earlier this year, above. The final phase will be completed Oct. 1 and Oct. 2.
Photo by Mountain Express
