Lincoln Municipal Airport runway dirt work underway (Photo by Hailey Dixon)Airport working towards gaining a cement runway in the future
By Hailey Dixon for the Lincoln Sentinel
Traveling west from Lincoln on Kansas Highway 18, one can see there are some changes going on at Lincoln Municipal Airport.
A new runway is being installed at the airport. Work began primarily in March 2018, according to Clay Haring, Post Rock Aviation Owner. The runway will be 4,200 feet long by 60 feet wide, Haring said.
Currently, dirt work is being done, which is being funded by a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation Division of Aviation, Haring said. Esfeld Construction out of Great Bend is completing the dirt part of the project, Haring said.
Kelly Larson, Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director, helped with getting various grants for the airport.
Previously, a grant from KDOT to install the cement in at the airport was not awarded, Larson
said, but Haring said they will apply again in September of 2018.
“We’ll submit in September and they won’t make their decision until [March or April 2019],” he said.
The dirt work portion will be completed around late August 2018, Haring said.
“It’s been an adventure,” he said.
Adding a cement runway is an added benefit for Lincoln and Lincoln County in a variety of ways, including more traffic and the addition of transportation to other hospitals in health care situations, Haring said.
“It’s the opportunity for new business and industry to come in,” Haring said. “Once we get the cement, there will be a lot more traffic.”
It is also beneficial for the airport and Post Rock Aviation, Haring said, including safety reasons in taking off and landing.
“It is a boost to the economy in a lot of ways,” he said.
Haring said a variety of entities and individuals use the airport currently, including Kansas State University and hunters. Airplanes and helicopters use the runway.
Haring, who grew up in Franklin, Neb., moved to Lincoln in 1993 and has owned Post Rock Aviation since 1995.
“We’ve increased the business out here,” he said.
Lincoln Municipal Airport expanded runway engineering drawings of the proposed 4200′ concrete runway to allow larger aircraft to land and takeoff. (photo by Kris Heinze)
