MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL -- On Tuesday morning, August 18, Runway 12L/30R at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will close for reconstruction of the middle 3,800 feet of pavement. The runway is expected to remain closed through the end of October.
During this time, the Federal Aviation Administration will redistribute air traffic to the remaining three runways, and residents living around the airport might notice a change in flight paths. Specifically, residents living under the landing paths for Runway 17 over Minneapolis and Runway 22 over St. Paul can expect a noticeable increase in the number of aircraft using those runways. Also, residents of Eagan are likely to notice more aircraft taking off to the southeast from Runway 12R/30L, during this two and a half month period.
The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) has notified residents of this temporary change through advertisements in local community newspapers, two postcard mailings to more than 98,000 homes, a series of four community open houses, information on its Web site, and a newsletter distributed to 4,000 area homes.
Reconstruction of the runway section is necessary due to the deterioration of pavement integrity due to the pavement’s age and heavy use. Constructed in 1967, the middle portion of the runway currently consists of a section of concrete pavement overlaid with bituminous pavement, which has been milled and overlaid repeatedly throughout the years, and a second section constructed of 1967 vintage concrete pavement. The runway ends were fully reconstructed in 1990 and the intersection was reconstructed in 1996.
When this final section is completed, the entire runway will consist of a base of at least three feet of granular material topped with 12 inches of crushed limestone and 20 inches of concrete. The new pavement will provide approximately 50 years of service, with the first 15 to 20 of those years essentially maintenance free. The estimated total cost of the project is $ 17.5 million, funded primarily through a combination of Federal aid and Metropolitan Airports Commission funds.
Barring significant weather events, the project is not expected to impact flight schedules or to cause significant delays.
Residents can obtain additional information about the runway reconstruction project at www.macnoise.com/construction or by calling 612-726-9411.
