Manhattan Regional Airport is preparing for its major runway reconstruction this spring, which will include a three month closure of airport services beginning in May.
The early stages of that project will begin with a temporary closure of the runway between 6 p.m. March 28 and 7 a.m. March 31. Engineer Diane Hofer, with Olsson provided a summary of what’s occurring during Monday’s Airport Advisory Board meeting.
She says relocated threshold will be installed and crews will also work to paint numbers and move lights and signs as necessary. Both runways will remain open then from March 31 until May 5, the latter being a week earlier than initially planned.
Both runways will be closed between mid-May and mid July, with the final phase of work occurring on runway 3/21 between July 20 and September 1. The airport has shared a complete timeline on its website.
Airport Director Brandon Keazer says with runway reconstruction and a full closure now less than two months away, he intends to seek rent abatement for airport tenants whose businesses will be disrupted by the project.
Primary runway affected tenants would include fixed-base operators like the Kansas Jet Center, Heartland Aviation as well as terminal tenants (TSA, Envoy and rental car facilities).
The Airport Advisory Board unanimously supported the recommendation, which will be presented by Keazer to the Manhattan City Commission at its April 4 meeting.
In other business Monday, Keazer and Hofer presented plans that are now in place to construct two new hangars at the airport, which is receiving over $2 million in federal money tied to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Biden in late 2021.
Keazer says plans are for a 6-bay hangar with stall dimensions of 42′ wide by 33′ deep and a 2-bay hangar that will have a pair of 50′ by 50′ stalls. The grant requires a 10 percent local match, which comes out to about $232,000.
Keazer says it’s not certain yet what the airport will charge to rent hangar space, but says the goal is to have it cover that local match, noting he intends to work with its engineering firm Olsson on a cost analysis.
A design agreement will be submitted to the Manhattan City Commission April 4, with construction on the new hangar space expected to begin in spring 2024 and be completed by fall 2024.
