CIRA to use federal grant for runway rehab work

Posted on May 20, 2017
Central Illinois Regional Airport has received a federal grant to rehab its runways. (WJBC File Photo)

By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – Central Illinois Regional Airport will be doing some runway rehab work this summer.

“It’s not a reconstruction, it’s a refurbishment, a rehabilitation,” Olson said. “We are very excited about it”

Director Carl Olson told WJBC the work will mostly involve replacing and fixing up some concrete and repainting its two runways.

“We will replace selected concrete panels that maybe have gotten weaker, cracked ceiling, joint filling, work on the pavement shoulders, just some general touch up and rehab without a full reconstruction,” Olson said.

He added the work will be done mostly at night so that no commercial or private travel will be affected. Olson said the work is scheduled to be finished by mid-August.

Olson said a Federal Aviation Administration grant will cover 90 percent of the $1.3 million cost. The project is scheduled to start next month and be completed by August.

The contractor is Freehill Asphalt of Watseka.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

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