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Quad-City Internation Airport prepares for runway project

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By Jennifer DeWitt | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 |

Work could begin as early as this summer on a major rehabilitation project of the main runway at the Quad-City International Airport.

The project, which could stretch out over three or four years, will include rebuilding the airport’s east-west runway, or Runway 9-27, as well as extending another runway and construction of a temporary runway.

“This is a complicated project with all kinds of ramifications,” Denny Martin, the project manager from Missman, Stanley & Associates, Rock Island, said Tuesday. He estimated that the project will cost between $27 million and $28 million.

Although actual construction is not expected to begin until next summer, he said grading and other work should begin this year. The temporary runway, which later will be converted into a taxiway, will be the airport’s only runway during the final year of construction.

As part of the preparations, the airport is in the process of having 70 trees located on private properties but in the flight path of Runway 13-31 topped, shaped and in some cases removed because they are in the flight path. Eight of the trees had to be removed, Martin said.

The trees were located on properties south of Indian Bluff Road. Additional trees are located north of the Rock River, but still need to be trimmed, officials said.

Although the work is nearing completion, the airport authority had to approve spending about $67,000 for the tree trimming at its meeting Tuesday. The board unanimously approved the project with Raney Tree Service.

Aviation director Bruce Carter said the airport had a short window in which to complete the work — trying to make sure the ground was still frozen and it was the proper time for cutting trees. Although he is only authorized to approve expenditures of $20,000, he said this was an unusual situation in which there was no time to call a special board meeting and he had to approve the project ahead of time.

Runway 5-23, which runs northeast to southwest, was rehabilitated last summer, but will get a 500-foot extension this summer.

The main runway also will be extended to 10,000 feet.

Although airport officials regretted having to cut down the trees, they had the legal right because of an easement created back in the 1970s, Harvey Levin, the airport’s attorney said.

Jennifer DeWitt can be contacted at (563) 383-2318 or jdewitt@qctimes.com.