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$6 Million Construction Project Begins on Quad City International Airport Runway

June 5, 2020

JUNE 5, 2020 | MOLINE, ILLINOIS – Construction on the approach end of Quad City International Airport’s 10,000-foot runway begins today. The project will improve drainage in an area impacted by seasonal flooding when the Rock River reaches flood stage. The project will not impact passengers or air traffic.

The project is planned maintenance and is part of the airport’s capital improvement program. It is funded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) airport improvement grant program. The FAA will pay for 90% of the $6,039,378 million project. The remaining 10% will be funded equally between the state of Illinois and the airport.

The airport has partnered with Valley Construction for this project. To reduce the impacts of seasonal flooding and provide increased drainage of this area, the airport will install a concrete culvert and raise the ground level by approximately 4 feet. Improved drainage will also reduce the risk avian species pose to aviation safety.

“While we are fortunate to have so much land around us, it is important that we manage it appropriately for the safety of the species that inhabit our waterways as well as the risk they can pose to airplanes taking off and landing at the airport,” said Joseph Goetz, operations manager, Quad City International Airport.

The runway will be closed from May 11 to August 8, 2020. Traffic will be diverted to the airport’s second of three runways, which is 7,000 feet long and more than exceeds the operating requirements of all the airlines serving the Quad Cities.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Quad City International Airport had several projects in progress, including partnering with an air service development firm, and selecting a design firm to modernize the landside terminal. Other customer-focused amenities were mere weeks away from launching, including adding valet parking and beginning construction on solar panel covered parking structures.

“We are still moving forward with our plans – much of the funding for these projects was already coming from the FAA and other federal grants but the way we approach them and the timing has changed,” said Benjamin Leischner, A.A.E., executive director of Quad City International Airport. “We are assessing our greatest needs, pressing pause on certain projects that depend on customer traffic and tackling other projects that maybe we hadn’t considered a priority but now make perfect sense to complete with fewer passengers, such as repainting parking lots.”

The Quad City International Airport remains open and operational. Routes may be reduced or canceled, and airlines have varying safety requirements so passengers are encouraged to check with their airline.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Ashleigh Johnston, Public Relations and Marketing Manager at 309-757-1743 or [email protected].

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