7 a.m.: Airport closed, 7:01: Construction began
By Gillian Slade on May 8, 2018.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com @MHNGillianSlade While the airport was eerily quiet in terms of aircraft Monday morning, it was still like Grand Central Station on the runway. Effective 7 a.m., the airport runway was closed and construction work commenced on a three-week project to rehabilitate the runway and taxiway pavement surfaces. “We hit the ground running at 7:01 a.m.,” airport manager Jeff Huntus said. Crews were stripping the asphalt surface on each side of the runway, while others were carefully removing painted lines on the concrete surfaces at each end to be replaced with fresh markings, said Logan Boyd, operations co-ordinator for the city. Sections of the concrete were also being carefully cut to remove and be replaced. A handful of large white crosses were already in place indicating to any unsuspecting air traffic that the runway is closed, said Boyd. While pilots are notified of the closure, the airport is also required to have the crosses in place as a further safety measure and a warning. The airport runway was built in 1964 and has not had a major resurfacing in more than 20 years. Unless there is significant weather that hampers progress, the work should be complete by May 30 and the airport re-opened on June 1, said Huntus. While the airport runway is closed for the rest of May, helicopters can still operate at the airport and some businesses are also still operating there. Front Porch Classics, the restaurant at the airport, and car rental companies are open. Air Canada also has staff on site to answer questions, said Huntus. The Alberta fixed-wing air ambulance service will continue to operate during the airport closure. STARS helicopters will be used to transport critically-ill patients out of Medicine Hat. The fixed-wing air ambulance service will still be used for urgent cases requiring transfer. A ground ambulance will take patients from Medicine Hat to Bow Island’s airport where they will be transferred to a fixed-wing air ambulance sent down from Calgary. 12
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