Carson airport settles for runway repairs for this year

The Carson City Airport Authority intends to ask the Federal Aviation Administration for about $420,000 to repair Runway 9-27 until a new runway can be built.

That money would come from a $3.7 million grant the FAA awarded the airport to reconstruct the runway. The federal agency gave indications that some of the reconstruction money may instead be used for short-term repairs.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors, meeting next on June 15, needs to approve the reduction in the grant request before the airport may ask for FAA approval.

The Authority will return the rest of the grant money to the FAA and later this year submit a new grant application to cover the estimated $7 to $10 million a new runway turned in a slightly different direction will cost.

Airport engineer Jim Clague hopes to start runway repair work in August. This will entail fixing many cracks along the entire length of the runway.

Airport officials earlier this year had hoped to build a new runway and realign the east end about 300 feet to the north.

Reconstruction, however, will likely be delayed until about 2002 because the realigned runway will cost at least twice as much as the initial $3.7 million grant that was crafted to rebuild the runway in the current location.

Airport and FAA officials, however, realized that building a new runway in the present location was impractical because there is not enough clearance between the runway and taxiway.

But getting more FAA grant money to cover the greater expense requires finishing a master plan and applying for a new grant, which will delay construction until at least 2002.

The repairs scheduled for the summer should be good for four years. Clague estimates the work will take 20 working days but no decisions have been made on day or night work or how the work will impact takeoffs and landings.