BEDFORD – The taxiway project at the Virgil Grissom airport to prevent runway incursions continues despite rain hampering efforts.
Planes landing at the airport on runway 31/13 would be required to go back taxi on that runway to return to the terminal in the past.
This procedure is called taxing on an active runway and can lead to problems especially for an airport without a control tower.
To mitigate the problem the Lawrence County Board of Aviation has started the taxiway project, with the taxiway just parallel to the runways 31/13.
The first phase of the project will complete the taxiway from the terminal area to the mid-point of the runway. After completion of this phase, planes will land and taxi only 1/2 way down the active runway, exit onto the parallel taxiway, and then the plane will make its way to the terminal area for fuel, to hanger or to tie down the aircraft.
The second phase of the project will complete the taxiway from one end of runway 31/13 to the other.
This project has an estimated cost of $1,437,450 and a large amount of the funds was acquired by an FAA grant that required no matching cost requirement.
Woolpert Engineering, Indianapolis, Indiana with Ryan McCrosky, Phase III manager is representing Virgil Grissom Municipal Airport on the project.
“We are presently at 50 % completion on this project and on schedule for the work,” said Sam Bond President Lawrence County Board of Aviation Commissioners.
Lutrgring Bros., Tell City Indiana, is working on the project who submitted the lowest bid.
“Rain has been somewhat an issue but the contractors are working around this pretty well,” added Bond.
The project reaches the edge of the airport property on Horseshoe Lane. Filling is being executed west of the terminal to facilitate the new routing. This will allow aircraft to reach the terminal in a safe manner.
“We had quite a bit of material in the stockpile from the earlier runway resurfacing improvements and this material is being used to bring parts of the airport ground up to the necessary grade,” added Bond.
“We have been very busy at the airport and fuel sales are doing really well. We anticipate an uptick in those near the end of the week when the airport is expected to see traffic from transients traveling to and from the Oshkosh Airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.”
The project will be updated by the Lawrence County Board of Aviation to keep the public informed on the countys’ one and only airport.
