It’s been a busy July at the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport.
Delta runs three, 70 seat flights a day between Rhinelander and Minneapolis.
Airport Director Matthew Leitner says all the planes have been running very full.
“By the time the summer is over, I think it'll be our best in several years. I would have to look at the data to tell you exactly how long it's been, but people are definitely utilizing the airport,” said Leitner. “We're seeing a lot more passenger volume than we have in years past. That's why Delta, our carrier, has been adding capacity for the summertime.”
While the airport is busy with passengers, it’s also been busy with construction.
The primary runway at the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport was built in 1976 and 77, about two years before the airport opened.
Since then, there’s been crack sealing and some patching over the years, but nothing as extensive as what’s being done right now.
“The runway is still in pretty good shape. It's not deteriorated to the point where it's unsafe or anything of that nature. However, it is time to address some panel replacement, and joint repair, and other things that we're doing,” said Leitner.
The project will replace airfield lighting, replace panels, repair joints, and new markings among other improvements.
Leitner says the airport has been coordinating with its carrier to use the secondary runway while work is being done on the primary runway so there are no disruptions.
There will be a 19-day shutdown of the main runway where construction crews will be working on it 24/7 in shifts.
“There are going be 20 electricians per shift working on the lighting for the primary runway and the associated taxiways,” said Leitner. “It's going to be a huge, huge undertaking.”
That will be from September 9th to the 27th. The secondary runway will be used during that time.
The project costs $12 million. 95% of it is paid for with federal funding from the FAA. The remaining 5% is local match from fees passengers pay when flying out of Rhinelander.
This project is the latest in a string of major improvements at the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport including a new waiting area and parking payment system.
“I was looking through our archives and for the years 1988 to 2018, we spent $26 million on capital improvement projects. In the last six years, we've spent $25 million on capital improvement projects,” said Leitner. “Granted, the previous 30 years, those figures are not adjusted for inflation, but even with that inflationary adjustment, we have had a lot of capital improvement these past six years.”
The runway project is expected to wrap up by the end of October. That timeline is weather dependent.
