BY KENTUCKY

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Lexington’s Blue Grass Airport will close for three days this summer as the main runway undergoes renovations.

The main runway of the airport will be resurfaced in August and as a result, commercial and private air traffic will temporarily close.


What You Need To Know

  • Blue Grass Airport will temporarily close in August
  • The airport will resurface its main runway during the closure
  • Customers will be contacted by their airline to be accommodated on alternate flights
  • The main runway was last resurfaced 15 years ago

“Every 12 to 15 years, we work on resurfacing our runway in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and this is an important task for us in order to maintain the pavement and the quality of pavement here at the airport,” said Amy Caudill, marketing director for the airport.

This will mean no takes-offs and landings for commercial and private airplanes during that time.

Caudill said the last time pavement work took place was in 2006.

“So usually, just like you would upgrade the pavement on the highway, it’s the same thing as on a runway. You want to make sure it is smooth, but yet there also are grooves on it in order to allow the plane to land appropriately. So every 12 to 15 years is approximately the amount of time that is recommended for any type of pavement like this,” Caudill said.

The FAA recently approved the $16.2 million project. The resurfacing will require an estimated 21,000 tons of asphalt to pave the long runway strip.

“We tend to pick this time of year because this tends not to be a time when a lot of people are not traveling a lot of times. Our leisure travelers are finishing up their summer vacations and getting ready for the school year ahead so it tends to slow down during August,” Caudill said.

Roughly 200 construction crew members will help complete the asphalt project. Work will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19 and continue through until 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug 22.