More Roberts Field runway reconstruction on the way

A multimillion-dollar runway project is rapidly approaching for the Redmond Municipal Airport.

Work on the secondary runway reconstruction project was slated to start next Monday. However, bad weather is postponing it by a week. But even when construction starts, airport Director Zachary Bass said travelers won’t be affected.

In 2016, construction on the primary runway shut down operations for three weeks. But this time around, the terminal and the primary runway, where commercial flights land, will stay open.

According to Bass, the public might not even notice changes when it’s finished, because it won’t be very different, visually. However, the $10 million price tag will bring Runway 11-29 up to the most current Federal Aviation Administration design standards.

“What we’re going to be doing is reconstructing the whole runway,” Bass said Friday. “So in the past, the water actually sheds off, and what we’re going to do is make it into what’s called a crown section, which allows water to shed off both sides.”

It may seem like a small change, but will require the runway to be completely redone. The late start on construction also will affect the end date, which is expected to move from Oct. 4 to Oct. 18.

And there are other airport changes on the horizon, coming as soon as this summer — these to provide travelers more options and more seats.

Two new flights will be added, one to Los Angeles, one to Denver. Larger aircraft will also be rolled out. The airport will be replacing many of its smaller 50-seat planes with 76-seat ones and larger.

Another change might require more planning on your part.

“If you’re showing up especially for morning flights, make sure you’re giving yourself at least an hour and a half here,” Bass said. “I know in the past you haven’t had to do that, but you’re going to start seeing longer lines and wait times at TSA.”

Roberts Field sees about 800,000 travelers a year, and this summer is predicted to be the busiest yet.

You can find airport information here: http://flyrdm.com/