According to retired Air Force Col. Jim Little, director of the Airpark, work on the southern protion of the 8,800-feet runway should be completed by the end of the week, with contractors ready to begin work on the northern half.

“There's concrete on the ends of the runway, and it's still good,” said Little. “So what we're doing is replacing all of the asphalt in the middle with concrete. So, when the project is complete, we'll have 8,800 of concrete runway, which will greatly increase the capabilities of it. It will support an airplane up to a 737.

“The southern portion of the primary runway has been torn out and is being paved, with the concrete work done today, and the rest of the necessary work done by the end of the week. After that they will begin work on the north end, and since the portion of the runway where the crosswind runway is located is finished, we'll be able to open up that crosswind runway. And it should be open for the balance of the project, which should carry us into June.”

Originally, plans to resurface the runway had called for a rebuilt asphalt surface expected to cost an estimated $6,260,312, which would be funded by the Texas Department of Transportation on a 90/10 financial split, with the city's portion coming to approximately $1.5 million.

However, city officials agreed last year the Airpark would be better served by upgrading the asphalt runway to an 11-inch concrete slab, an additional cost TxDOT declined to extend the 90/10 split to, bringing the city's part to $2.5 million. However, thanks to $800,000 from the Big Spring Economic Development Corporation to help cover the increased cost, the Big Spring City Council gave the go-ahead for the improvement.

According to Little, the new, stronger surface could mean business opportunities for the city of Big Spring.

“Some of the corporate jets that are currently landing here are pressing it. You could land a 737 out here prior to the runway project, but the problem was how many times you could land it before it begins causing serious damage to the surface,” said Little. “Numbers is what really makes the difference. You could have landed a single 737 on the old runway with no problem. However, when you start talking about four or five of them, it would very quickly have an impact on the runways and taxi ways.

“The surface we'll have when this project is complete will support continued use by the 737 and other, larger airplanes without a problem. And, as we begin to get commitments and utilization, then improving the capabilities of the taxi ways and the ramp in front of the terminal. If we were to get a contractor or company that wanted to use a particular portion, we would reinforce and protect the runway and taxi ways so that business could use and have the them where they need to be to support it.

“We've had a good number of people show an interest in setting up operations here,” he added. “However, like for painting or for plane maintenance, they want to be able to start off with the small airplanes and then grow. Without the capability of growth — which would require an increase in the capability of the runway, they simply weren't interested. The runway is long enough to accommodate just about anything. It's one of the longest runways in this part of the state. However, once your able to handle the weight of the larger aircrafts, it begins to open a lot more doors.”

And while the northern portion of the runway has remained opened while reconstruction of the southern half has been taking place, Little said the airport will have to operate strictly on the crosswind runway until work is complete.

“The southern portion of the runway that's almost completed isn't long enough for us to use,” said Little. “So, for the rest of the project, we'll be using the crosswind runway exclusively.”

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it