Officials Lobby for a Runway Extension at the Duluth International Airport
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DULUTH - Tomorrow some big names in Minnesota head to Washington D.C. to lobby for the Duluth International Airport.
They're hoping for an extension on the secondary runway.
Minnesota Lt. Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon, millitary officials and the Duluth Chamber of Commerce are heading there to voice their concerns.
They will be meeting with Congress members, Pentagon officials and representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Right now, the secondary runway length is 5,718 x 150 ft. and it needs to be 8,000 x 150 ft. to meet commercial flight requirments.
In about ten years the primary runway will need to be reconstructed and they'll need to have the secondary runway ready, or risk losing flights and relocating the 148th Fighter Wing.
"Engineers have determined that the life cycle of this runway is approximately another ten years so safety is not an issue today, but we know that it does have a life," said Mike Lundstrom, Duluth International Airport, Board of Directors.
The reconstruction of both runways would cost about $31.2 million.
If approved for funding, 90 percent would be provided by the FAA.
"There's alternatives where you could do the runway in different sections and work on it overnight and try to piece it together, but it doesn't create a very strong, long runway for the long run," said Pat Mullen, Duluth-area Chamber of Commerce.
This is a construction phasing project and would start about five to eight years from now.