Sky Harbor Airport Runway Project Completed

It's been a long 14 years in the making, but the Sky Harbor Airport runway realignment and environmental mitigation project has finally taken off.

DULUTH, Minn. – The process started all the way back in 2006 when the licensure for the airport was in jeopardy because of the old growth forest was influencing the flight approach to the runway.

It’s been a long 14 years in the making, but the Sky Harbor Airport runway realignment and environmental mitigation project has finally taken off.

“It’s been a long journey through many partnerships,” said Brandon Twedt, the project manager and airport engineer for the Sky Harbor Project. “This project has been one of the more unique projects that I’ve worked on.”

The project itself focused on rotating the 2,600-foot runway to protect the forest. From one standpoint, the weather was pretty challenging and most of the construction was done in the fall. To have the runway completed in this way is a rewarding feat, according to managers of the project.

“It’s invaluable,” said Twedt. “Having a paved surface that’s smooth, that’s accommodating will bring in more opportunities for future developments and future use of this unique airport.”

The location of the airport is quite unique, being adjacent to a large body of water like Lake Superior and being less than 15 minutes away from Canal Park for those who want to recreate. Leadership says it shows how the community was involved in the entirety of the project.

“This is a test in terms of perseverance,” said Tom Werner, the executive director of the Duluth Airport Authority. “It’s also a testament to the public involvement process over that span of time that we’re able to get by it from the community as well as aviation and find a solution that works for everybody so we’re extremely excited that we’re able to get to this point.”

Other details from the project include having LED lights along the runway and the removal of 10 acres of invasive species while also enhancing the nearby aquatic habitat.

The project cost about $13.2 million and was funded mostly by the Federal Aviation Administration. Nearly 14,000 flight operations are conducted every year at the airport.