FAYETTEVILLE -- Ronald Reagan flew in Air Force One the last time the runway at Drake Field got an overlay.
The 6,005-foot stretch of asphalt has seen a number of touch-ups since. Crack sealants and rejuvenating coats extended the runway's expected 20-year lifespan another 15 years.
But the growing cost of rehabilitation has exceeded the cost of replacement.
An Airport Improvement Program grant from the Federal Aviation Administration will cover 90% of the cost, about $5.5 million, to mill and overlay the runway.
The complete project includes replacing the sign system and the lights with LED bulbs and building an electrical vault to house the airfield lighting power and control equipment and a generator.
The total cost is expected at more than $6 million. The remaining 10%, or about $600,000, will come from American Rescue Plan money.
The project's timeline moved up a year after the FAA reached out in October to encourage the city to apply for grant funding because the federal government was making additional money available for airport projects through the American Rescue Plan. General aviation airports are receiving $100 million under the plan, in addition to $800 million toward rent for spaces leased at terminals and $6.5 billion for airports serving commercial airlines.
The amounts for airports are separate from the money cities are receiving under the plan. Fayetteville is receiving $17.9 million in American Rescue Plan money to use for a variety of purposes, including health and safety, economic recovery and other infrastructure projects such as water and sewer and broadband.
Drake Field's runway is safe, said Summer Fallen, airport services manager. The project is necessary to keep it safe, she said.
"It's definitely a necessity for us at this time just due to the amount of erosion that we have," Fallen said. "You can only patch and fix asphalt so much."
The City Council on Tuesday approved applying for the grant. Fallen said she'll likely come back to the council by the end of the month to accept the money. The federal government already approved the project as part of the airport's five-year capital plan, she said.
An agreement with a contractor will come after that, and work on the runway will happen next summer, she said. Work should take 16-25 days and will require shutting down the runway.
The airport had about 24,000 takeoffs and landings combined in 2020 and in 2019 and is on pace to increase the numbers this year.
An Airport Improvement Program grant typically pays 90% of a project cost, and the Arkansas Division of Aeronautics covers the remaining 10%. Airports in the state typically get about $30 million total from the federal grant program.
With the American Rescue Plan covering the remaining 10% of municipal airport projects, the division likely will reserve $3 million to put toward projects next year, said Jerry Chism, director.
"It doesn't sound like a lot of money in the scheme of things across the state, but as far as grants for our airports, it is a lot of money," he said.
The extra money could be put toward just about anything an airport needs, Chism said. Runways and taxiways, hangars, striping, fencing, security, HVAC units and terminal work all would qualify, he said.
The matching requirements for cities receiving state grants vary depending on the nature of the request. The available options are 90/10 grants, 80/20 grants and 50/50 grants, Chism said.
Airports in other Northwest Arkansas and River Valley cities also are taking advantage of the influx in federal dollars.
The Fort Smith Regional Airport will begin a runway project this month.
The city's airport is owned by an independent commission, said Michael Griffin, director. The project to restore the 8,417-foot-long runway will involve asphalt overlay and milling, pavement marking and new lighting and signs and other work. It has an estimated $13 million cost, he said.
The airport is paying for the majority of the work through federal grants and the 10% remaining, about $1.3 million, is coming from American Rescue Plan money for airports, Griffin said.
The Bentonville airport is in the design phase of widening its 65-foot-wide, 4,426-foot-long runway another 10 feet, said Chuck Chadwick, manager. A federal improvement program grant is paying for $148,500, or 90%, of the cost of design for the widening and lights, with American Rescue Plan money covering the remaining 10% at $16,500.
The airport also is in the middle of extending its southeast taxiway. The cost is about $1.8 million with the improvement grant paying for 90% at about $1.6 million and the rescue plan money covering 10% at about $180,000.
Bentonville's runway is in good shape, Chadwick said.
The most recent major runway project at the Rogers airport happened in 2017, said David Krutsch, manager. The airport doesn't have any projects slated that would use American Rescue Plan money, he said.
Springdale's airport has some projects on the way, such as extending the east taxiway and building a complex of four hangars, but they aren't slated to use the American Rescue Plan money for airports, said Wyman Morgan, city finance director. The 5,302-foot-long runway at Springdale's airport had an overlay about four years ago, said Laura Meyers, facilities manager.
