NewsChannel 21 exclusive: Lost driver speeds onto Bend Airport runway; plans for fence, gates are in the works

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Bend Municipal Airport manager confirmed a tip to NewsChannel 21 and provided some details about a woman who was lost and drove at a high rate of speed onto the active runway last Saturday morning.

Airport Manager Tracy Williams says it occurred around 10 a.m. and that a worker in the area flagged the woman down to let her know she was in the wrong area. No further issues arose.

Williams said it's a rare, but not unprecedented occurrence. The airport's 2030 capital improvement program includes money for gates and a fence..

Meanwhile, construction of an air traffic control tower that will also help prevent such risks is slated to begin next month.