Kotzebue Airport crosswind runway faces 24-hour closures as Phase 2 begins

Phase 1 safety repairs on Kotzebue Airport's main runway are complete, and the crosswind runway is set to begin closing at night as soon as Monday. Full 24-hour closures follow once crews finish building a temporary taxiway access route.

Ralph Wien Memorial Airport serves as a regional hub for Northwest Alaska. The State of Alaska DOT&PF owns and operates the facility.

Phase 1 runway safety area repairs on Runway 9-27 are complete. The contractor is now preparing to begin Phase 2, which requires nighttime closures of Runway 18-36 to construct a temporary taxiway access route from the lease lots to Runway 9-27. Once that temporary access route is finished, Runway 18-36 will move to full 24-hour closures for the next phase of construction.

The project scope includes rehabilitating and constructing safety improvements to crosswind Runway 18-36 and Taxiway G, rehabilitating areas of the Runway 9-27 runway safety area, replacing airfield lighting, and applying dust palliative.

Current construction status is available at dot.alaska.gov/construction. Readers with questions can contact DOT staff at 907.451.5311 or [email protected], or at 907.451.2309 or [email protected].