Airport project finished
Road resurfacing completed ahead of scheduleBy Jane Nordberg, DMG Writer
Airport project finished
By Jane Nordberg
DMG Writer
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP - A summer construction project at the Houghton County Memorial Airport is complete.
Airport Manager Dennis Hext thanked the public for their patience while work was done to resurface the Airpark Road from U.S. 41 to the airport terminal.
"There were no delays and the contractor did a good job of making the traffic flow," Hext said. "It went very smoothly."
Local contractor Payne and Dolan began the project in August by replacing an aging culvert. Road resurfacing followed, with the old pockmarked surface being pulverized to make a base for the new asphalt road to the terminal. Flaggers were posted as roadwork funneled traffic into one lane, but flow was not significantly impeded, Hext said.
Curbs leading to the terminal were also replaced, as was a sidewalk to the terminal entrance.
"They finished painting last week," Hext said. "The only thing left to do is clean up the barrels."
Peckham Engineering of Traverse City, with an office in the industrial park adjacent to the airport, was the project engineer.
"They are the airport's engineer of choice for projects like that," Hext said.
The project is part of $838,000 in improvements funding which includes an $801,337 Federal Aviation Administration grant plus a 2.5-percent state and local match.
The project contract was for 90 days, but work was completed ahead of schedule.
While the deteriorating culvert was the most labor and time-intensive part of the project, Hext said, most people will appreciate most the resurfacing of the road.
"We got as much useful life out of that road as we could," Hext said. "People's cars will thank them."
Jane Nordberg can be reached at jnordberg@mininggazette.com.
