State races construction window to move Noatak runway away from eroding riverbank

Alaska is preparing to move the Noatak airport two miles west because the river has closed in on where it stands. A study appendix in the project file recorded about 160 horizontal feet between the top of bank and the southeast edge of the apron. The final environmental assessment for the project puts the buffer between the river and the runway at less than 300 feet. What is at risk is the village's only reliable link for freight, fuel, and medical travel.

The existing airport sits beside the Noatak River, where erosion has been documented for years and has accelerated more recently. DOT&PF documents say studies in 2003, 2013, and 2015 all concluded the erosion at Noatak will continue for the foreseeable future. In a state project notice, the department said the continued erosion "jeopardizes the existing airport and therefore also jeopardizes the Noatak community which relies on safe and reliable air transportation service."

Sealed bids are due at 2 p.m. Thursday, against an engineer's estimate of $80 million to $90 million, with final completion set for May 1, 2030. DOT&PF has projected construction for the relocation from 2026 through 2028.

The project would build a 4,000-by-60-foot runway, taxiway, apron, snow removal equipment building, and a roughly two-mile access road about two miles west of the community, with a bridge over Kuchoruk Creek. It requires about 323 acres of land.

At the department's monthly advertising schedule update on Sept. 17, 2025, DOT&PF's Al Beck said the region was "rapidly working on that project to acquire the right-of-way and get a review set out and get all our permits needed." The state's public notice system carries a notice of application for state water quality certification for the Noatak River, reference POA-2025-00495, published July 7, 2026. That certification is a step the state takes before the federal permit can issue.

In a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers erosion report, the Noatak tribal administrator said the main factor causing the erosion is melting permafrost.