The extension of Morgantown Airport is scheduled to begin later in the month of March lead by Lewis County Construction in West Virginia. Doss Enterprises has been awarded the first phase of the project, which has been valued at US$5.7 million. The total project includes a 1,000-foot extension of the runway and building the Interstate 68 Commerce Park, which will cost an estimated US$50 million. The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded the airport with a US$7 million grant, in which a US$750,000 match is covered by federal coronavirus relief funds. “As we are bringing that borrow site down and flattening it that will be creating the future I-68 Commerce Park,” airport director Jonathon Vrabel said.
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Vrabel said there are two borrow sites, one on the west side of the airport and the other on the eastside. Both sites will be used to separate the aggregate so that it can be used to build the foundation for the runway. All of this will involve moving 4.4 million cubic yards of fill. Some large aggregate will be used to create the base’s bottom portion, which holds everything in place. The smaller aggregate will be used as filler in later phases, Vrabel said. Weather permitting, the first phase should run until December and require 265 days of work. Vrabel said he is meeting with contractors this week to finalize the details and learn how exactly the job will be tackled.
“This is just a great opportunity for the region,” he said. “You know, it’s the largest project that the city has ever done; economic project including this extension along with the I-68 Commerce Park. It’s a big piece to help with economic development in the area. This will allow the airport to increase its safety for our current users and allow more users to use our airport.”
