Construction nearly complete on new Red Oak airport taxiway

Less than six months after construction began, a new taxiway at the Red Oak airport is nearly complete.

As part of the airport’s five-year plan, the project was moved to the front of the list and construction on the parallel taxiway to runway 5 or 23 began in July.

“This is a great addition to our community and a great front door to our airport,” Airport Manager Gail Ernst said.

Before construction of the new taxiway, pilots trying to take off had to back their airplane down an active runway. With 40-50 flights during summer months, traffic jams resulted, . Ernst said.

With the addition of striping and lights last week, the west end of the new taxiway is complete and available for use. Ernst said it will be seeded in the spring.

Work remainson the east end though, with additional rock to be added, grading, and concrete to be poured.The project should be complete by the end of the year.

With the new taxiway, Ernst predicted the Red Oak airport will become an even more popular stop for cross-country flights. Already preferred due to its competitive fuel prices, cross-wind runway, available hangar space, and a courtesy car, several pilots stop in Red Oak for refueling or an overnight stay.

Ernst said the airports well-maintained turf runway is another popular feature.

“Pilots of the antique planes really like the turf runways,” he said. “It causes a lot less wear and tear on their planes, so we get a lot of them in here too, especially in the summer.”

While he did not exact costs of the new taxiway available, Ernst said 95 percent of the project is funded by a federal grant, with the city providing the remaining five percent.