PORTLAND, Maine — Starting Monday, April 18, the Portland International Jetport's main runway will be closed for eight weeks due to construction. In the meantime, flights will arrive and depart using the airport's secondary runway.
According to airport director Paul Bradbury, this kind of renovation project happens every 20 years to keep the runway in optimal condition for airplanes.
Bradbury said flight patterns would change, so people in surrounding neighborhoods and towns should expect extra noise.
"The pattern will change, so all of our flights will be taking off or departing to the north or the south. So that will expose neighborhoods that normally don't see the level of aircraft noise … [Those towns] will see it for the next 56 days. We are very concerned about this and want to make sure that our neighbors are aware of this change in pattern and the change in aviation noise," Bradbury explained.
Bradbury also said that if there is low visibility or bad weather, travelers should expect some flights delays or cancellations during this time because the smaller secondary runway does not have the instrument landing capability that the main one has.
Dwight Anderson is one of the airport's engineers, and he's the manager of the runway project. As pavement gets older, he said it cracks and breaks away, creating debris on the runway. Thus, the runway needs to be repaved.
"The closure is necessary because there is so much work to be done. We are talking about 34,000 tons of pavement," Anderson said.
Bradbury explained that any material that stays on the runway could be ingested by engines, so the runway renovation project has to be done promptly to avoid damage to aircraft.
To get the work done in just two months, 50 to 70 workers will be rehabilitating the main runway, which includes the removal and installation of 34,000 tons of bituminous paving and nearly 20 miles of wire for the runway lighting systems.
Here's a breakdown of the funding for the $13.7 million project:
- 90% funded by the Federal Aviation Administration
- 5% funded by Maine's Department of Transportation
- 5% funded by the Portland Jetport
"We have done some patching on this runway already, so it is time. The last runway rehabilitation was just 18 years ago, back in 2004," Bradbury said.
Another important detail is that from May 16 to June 13, nighttime crews will be working on the intersecting runway portion between the main runway and the secondary runway.
"We have to close everything, so the airport will be physically closed from 10:30 p.m. to 5:45 a.m. So that means we will have no late arrivals and no really early departures during that time frame during those 28 days," Bradbury said.
More information on the project and the closure can be found here.