RDM runway project on track, airport reopens Monday

The Redmond Municipal Airport announced late Thursday the three-week runway intersection construction project will be completed on time and commercial service will resume Monday as scheduled. Despite rain delays, it’s gone so well, private aircraft will return Friday.

Runway 5-23 re-construction work, where both runways intersect, is why the airfield was originally scheduled to close for three weeks, May 2-22.

But RDM’s secondary Runway 11-29 is scheduled to open for general aviation aircraft (private planes) on Friday at 4 p.m., which officials said is earlier than planned.

Commercial passenger aircraft,,including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta and United, will return their scheduled passenger service to RDM on Monday as planned.

Although the contractor, Knife River, faced a rain delay equivalent to more than three days, stopping the paving work, officials said they managed to complete the intersection reconstruction portion of the project early allowing the airport to reopen Runway 11-29 to aircraft.

In fact, commercial service could have resumed earlier. But officials said airlines aren’t able to adjust their schedules quickly enough to bring their aircraft back to RDM before Monday, the scheduled resumption.

Runway 5-23 will remain closed as scheduled for the remaining reconstruction work to be completed. That work is scheduled for completion at the end of August, officials said.