Airport reopens with final runway work completed

By TOM LAVENTURE

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Ironwood Township — The Gogebic-Iron County Airport reopened for a second time in a month to complete a summer-long runway project.

The airport was set to reopen officially at 8 p.m. Thursday, according to Michael Harma, airport manager. The airport was closed from Aug. 13-20 so workers could cut drainage gaps across the new surface following a $5.19 million runway reconstruction project in June and July.

The temporary runway lines were replaced this week with permanent lines after oils in the new asphalt had time to dry, he said. Other work to replace topsoil, seed grass and marking the new lighting was also accomplished over the past week.

The project reduced the runway width from 122 feet to 100 feet, which is the Federal Aviation Administration standard. The runway width along with the 6,503 feet length and 50-foot taxiways are adequate for regional jet traffic, which the airport wants in the future.

This is the biggest runway project since the last deep resurfacing in 1992. The project was to mill, level and resurface Runway 9/27, replace runway lighting and narrow the runway.

The airport is now open to civil aviation, UPS and commercial passenger flights.

Regional passenger air service will continue on Friday with Boutique Air, Inc., the Ironwood Essential Air Provider that took over from Air Choice One on Aug. 1. The airline provides daily nonstop round trips to Chicago O’Hare International Airport and to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

“We have been amazed on the turn out of passenger loads for our first week operating out of Ironwood to both Chicago and Minneapolis,” said Brian Kondrad, the assistant general manager for Boutique Air, and who also serves as the regional manager for Ironwood. “We are seeing a lot of interline bookings and passengers making their connection plans directly on United’s and American Airlines’ websites.

Passengers can now expect bag transfers from Boutique flights directly to both United and American Airlines, he said. Passengers will not have to retrieve luggage at the baggage claim while enroute and recheck them while going back through security.

“Passengers were also thrilled on how fast and comfortable the flight was, this also helps when choosing connections in both Minneapolis and Chicago,” Kondrad said. “We are excited to begin this service for Ironwood and look forward to being a part of the community.”