Kotzebue's backup runway is closing for construction, starting at night

In a roadless region the airport is the road. Kotzebue's bad-weather backup runway is closing for construction — nights first, then around the clock.

In a region with no roads, the airport is the road. So when Kotzebue's airport starts closing a runway, it's worth a heads-up.

Ralph Wien Memorial Airport — the hub that links Kotzebue and the surrounding Northwest Arctic to the rest of the world — is moving into the next phase of a safety-improvement project. The main runway's first round of repairs is done. Now the crosswind runway, the one pilots rely on when the wind won't cooperate, is set to start closing overnight as soon as Monday.

Those nighttime closures let crews build a temporary route connecting the airport's lease lots to the main runway. Once it's finished, the crosswind runway shifts to full 24-hour closures for the rest of the work, which also covers a taxiway, new airfield lighting, and dust control.

The state hasn't put an end date on the full closure. Anyone flying through Kotzebue can track the project's status at dot.alaska.gov/construction.