Bids opened for next phase of runway extension project
On Tuesday, Morgantown City Council approved the placement of just over $10.1 million in state and federal grant dollars into the city's Airport Improvement Fund for phase four of the project.
That work, awarded to Cast & Baker out of Canonsburg, Pa., for $9, 122, 000 in September, is currently underway and includes the culverting of the unnamed tributary that runs into Wolfe Run Creek.
On Thursday, bids were opened for the fifth phase of work. The bids included a base project and four alternatives, and ranged from just over $6.7 million to $10.7 million.
Phase five will include the installation of a retaining wall and the beginning construction of an embankment.
Morgantown Communications Director Brad Riffee said the bid information will be provided to the Federal Aviation Administration, which should tell the city how much funding it will receive for phase five sometime this fall.
While planning and investment in the runway extension began more than 15 years ago, actual construction started in March 2021.
Since then, just over $29.4 million in federal and local dollars have been awarded. Of that amount, $4 million went into planning and environmental analysis and the rest has gone into construction.
All told, the city is currently estimating an overall cost of $62 million and a completion timeline as early as 2028 or as late as 2030 depending on the flow of funding.
City and airport officials are hopeful the recent arrival of SkyWest as the airport's new essential air service carrier will boost the airport's enplanement numbers enough to trigger additional federal support.
The runway project has long been touted as potentially the most important capital improvement ever undertaken by the city.
Based on the number of aircraft operations, the Morgantown Municipal Airport is the busiest airport in West Virginia. Its runway, however, is currently the shortest commercial airport runway in the state.
Further, the estimated 4.4 million cubic yards of dirt needed to support the extension is being pulled from the future site of the Monongalia County Development Authority's I-68 Commerce Park, which, on its own, will be among the largest development projects in the city's history.
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