Primary runway at XNA opened to air traffic

HIGHFILL -- The main runway at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport was to open early this morning, ending several years of renovation work and related litigation.

"The countdown is on. About four or five Thursday morning, we'll start using our primary runway again," Kelly Johnson, airport director, told board members Wednesday. "Airplanes will be taking off and landing on the rehabilitated runway."

Eyesore given the boot

Regional airport officials have gotten rid of an eyesore. All that remains of the old boot store across Arkansas 264 from the airport’s entrance is a small pile of bricks, some sheet iron and the remains of a pole sign.

Crews used heavy equipment this week to knock down the dilapidated building and have been hauling away the debris.

“Visitors exiting will get better views of the region’s natural beauty,” said Sara Lilygren, an airport board member who helped get the ball rolling on removal. “It’s a beautiful piece of land, but the store was not functional and obscured the view of the rolling hills behind it.”

The property owner agreed to let airport officials remove the building and the Northwest Arkansas Council provided money for the project. The property is expected to eventually be acquired for a proposed airport access road from the U.S. 412 Northern Bypass, which is under construction.

Source: Staff report

Crews were set to work overnight to move barriers and change signs on the airfield in preparation for the opening, Johnson said. A temporary runway has been in use for four years.

The change requires the moving and re-calibrating of some instrument landing equipment on the south end of the runway, which is expected to take up to six more months. The installation of navigational aides on the north end of the main runway allowed officials to go ahead and open the landing strip.

"The public will never even notice, but for us, it's a big deal," Johnson said.

The $26.1 million project should have been done by the end of 2013. The contract was let in June 2012. The Federal Aviation Administration paid for 90 percent of the project.

The original main runway and base, as well as drainage and electrical, had to be replaced because an alkaline reaction between aggregate and sand in the concrete mix caused cracks, which became noticeable about four years after the airport opened. Moisture and deicing solution exacerbated the problem.

A taxiway was converted to serve as the primary runway during the project. That temporary runway will revert to its intended use.

The W.L Harper Co., general contractor for the project, sued the airport authority and the engineers overseeing the project in December 2014 for breach of contract and unjust enrichment, claiming the company hadn't been paid for work or material and couldn't pay subcontractors. The lawsuit sought $9.5 million.

Airport officials denied wrongdoing and counter-sued seeking damages for breach of contract and breach of implied warranty. An out-of-court settlement was reached in April 2015.

The settlement called for 11 of the new runway or taxiway panels to be replaced and a drainage problem repaired. The contractor was allowed to submit about $3.9 million in bills for work completed to the Federal Aviation Administration for payment.

Finishing the work of installing navigational aides on the main runway cost the airport about $590,000. Some $400,000 of that came from an Arkansas Aeronautical Commission grant.

NW News on 07/21/2016

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