Airport Road is scheduled to close to through traffic from Mississippi 44 to Old Highway 35 from June 17 until July 10 as part of the $10.2 million federally funded runway expansion.
While there will be no official detour, traffic will have to take an alternate route around the construction.
Next week Beacon Construction is going to cement treat the base for the section of new road, and the following week it will put in a culvert on the Airport Road connector. It will build the new intersection with Old Highway 35 beginning May 27 and will pave and treat the road beginning June 3. The shoulder gravel and a temporary stripe will be added the following week before Airport Road is closed. The timeline could be effected by inclement weather, however.
While the road is closed for three weeks, Beacon will build the 400 feet of road that will connect the new section to the existing road in front of the Columbia Animal Shelter.
Airport Road is having to be moved because of federal rules dictating how far away an intersection can be from a runway. Beacon Construction has the $1.4 million bid to move the road. Walters Construction won the $7.2 million bid to lengthen the runway by about 1,050 feet to 5,500 feet and widen it from 75 feet to 100 feet. Officials have said the project will help accommodate jets used by large local businesses and potential industries.
