Runway to be reconstructed at Great Bend Municipal Airport. The blue line marks the FAA approved portion and the yellow line marks the KDOT portion of funding.
Much of the talk surrounding the Great Bend Municipal Airport now is centered on Great Bend Airfest which will bring over 30 historic aircrafts to town September 28 – 30.
Airport Manager Martin Miller realizes another large project will take place following the show that will affect the longevity of the runway. Miller says the bidding process for the repaving project on Runway 17/35 is over and now the City of Great Bend is waiting on approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Martin Miller Audio
The total project will cost over $11 million. The FAA agreed to pay 90 percent of the reconstruction for 5,500 feet. In order to keep one of the longest runways in Kansas, Great Bend received funding from the Kansas Department of Transportation to help with the remaining 2,351 feet of the runway. Great Bend’s share of the project is estimated to be just over $1 million that will mostly come from the Airport Fund.
Miller anticipated tearing the runway up in early spring.