Nearly $6 Million Project to Bring Improvements to TRF Airport

Not only will a new hangar open next month at the Thief River Falls Airport, but pilots have another reason to be excited.

A new, almost $6 million project that gets underway next month will make take-offs and landings on the runway a little smoother.

The hangar that has been in the works since last fall will open by mid-July and next, some much-needed repairs will be made on the runway.

"Our engineers estimates came in at about $5.8 to $5.9 million. The $1.6 million that we've been awarded will cover a portion of that," TRF airport manager Joe Hedrick said.

The runway rehabilitation will start in early July with taxiway grating, purchasing of equipment and preparing to shift the runway to the taxiway during construction. Almost 95 percent of the project is funded by the Department of Transportation.

"It feels good to get it going and finally have the money, and I look forward to the rest of the disbursements and we can have a finished product," Hedrick said.

Airplanes should be able to make use of the 6500 foot runway in a little over three months, making it a smoother ride for the more than 20 planes that takeoff and land there everyday.

"People are very excited to have new pavement to fly off of. They have been noticing the cracks. It's a little more defined in the tail dragging aircraft," Hedrick said.

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