Airport closes for runway addition

CARLSBAD — Work will begin this April on a new 5,000-foot runway at McClellan-Palomar Airport.
The airport will close for one week starting at 11:30 p.m. April 25, after which it will reopen for one week of normal flight operations.
This alternating schedule will continue for five phases of renovation, as 1,000 feet of runway are completed at a time. The phased construction schedule was chosen in order to avoid an extended closure of the airport.
Fixed based operators and airport tenants have been offered free aircraft parking at other county airports, and a two-month suspension of rent during construction.
The new runway consists of 23 inches of soil treated with cement, recycled asphalt grindings from the existing runway, and new asphalt. Its expected lifespan will be twenty years.
Testing of the existing runway showed potential for collapse of the supporting soils and pavement surfaces.
The runway renovation will avoid catastrophic runway failure and will complement the new 18,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art terminal that opened last year.
The project will cost $7,895,219 and is funded entirely through the Federal Aviation Administration. Originally the new runway was to be completed in phases as funds became available, until the FAA unexpectedly announced sufficient funding in August 2009.
Hazard Construction of San Diego submitted the winning bid to complete the renovation.
A detailed schedule of construction is available online through the San Diego County Department of Public works at www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dpw. Regular construction updates will also be available in a bi-weekly newsletter or on the Palomar Airport runway Web site.