Deering airport construction resumes after heavy rain halts work for five days

Crews are back at work on the Deering airport after heavy rain shut down construction for five days, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said in its Northern Region update Tuesday.

Work resumed on the initial borrow lift, the first layer of fill material from the pits, around the perimeter of Runway 12-30 and the apron, where planes park. Excavation at the pits continued through the rain, and crews stockpiled material to haul once conditions improved.

A barge delivered the majority of the remaining insulation board. The department held a community meeting for residents last week.

Hauling runs from pits along Deering Road to the airport every night, 6 pm to 8 am. The department told residents to expect increased truck traffic and nighttime activity.

The project resurfaces the runway, taxiway and apron, upgrades lighting and builds a new access road. It also repairs runway, taxiway and apron shoulders, replaces the segmented circle, a ground marker showing the traffic pattern, and applies dust-control treatment to the airport's surfaces and access road. DOT&PF project material identifies the runway surface and lighting system as needing rehabilitation, and says snow removal has contributed to rutting and ponding on the runway. DOT&PF has also cited seasonal flooding from ice jams and Kotzebue Sound storm surges among the reasons for the work.

An earlier DOT&PF project description anticipated construction starting in 2024 and finishing in 2025. The 2025 solicitation put the engineer's estimate at $30 million to $40 million and set a completion date of Oct. 31, 2028.