The parallel runway at the Bethel Airport will undergo construction next summer to deal with damage from melting permafrost, which has caused dips in the surface.
The state Department of Transportation plans to repave the runway after repairing the dips. The agency will also replace some lights along its edge. All that will cost between $5-10 million according to Morgan Merritt, DOT’s Program Manager for the construction.
He says that the work will take place in the summer because that runway is used more heavily during the winter. Merritt expects the construction to take a couple of months and be finished by autumn.
The public can submit comments about the Bethel runway reconstruction plans through the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities website, or call Merritt at 907-269-0614 for more information.
