Colfax airport closing for construction

The Colfax Airport will close Monday, July 27, for runway construction, a long anticipated runway improvement project. The runway will receive a complete makeover with a rebuild for the current length of approximately 3,500 feet and expansion of the width to 60 feet all around. The current runway width ranges from 55 to 57 feet.

Motley & Motley of Pullman will be contractor on the project with a bid of $1,849,298.

The Port of Whitman County received a $1.8 million FAA grant in June to fund the project, which is expected to take just more than two months.

Construction is currently anticipated to conclude Oct. 5.

The airport will be closed for the duration of the construction. Hangar tenants have been informed of the construction and have the option of relocating their airplanes or leaving them on site. They will not be able to fly airplanes in or out of the airport during the construction season.

The Port of Whitman Business Air Center will remain open. A number of businesses operate at the center which is separate from the airport, according to Debbie Snell, Port Properties and Development manager.

A flower mill, trucking company, storage facility and hangar tenants who provide maintenance services are included in the center lineup.

Traffic flow on Airport Road between Colfax and Mockonema will not be affected during construction.

Snell said there are emergency plans in place in the event a pilot needs to make an emergency landing. Pilots in an emergency situation can radio ahead and equipment would be removed from the runway, she said.