DuPage Airport to begin runway widening project

DuPage Airport in Illinois, US, will commence an $11.4m capital improvement project to widen and rehabilitate its primary runway.

The expansion project will provide the primary runway with improved operational capability for large business jets. Construction work of the project is expected to be completed by December.

As part of the project, the 7,570ft long primary runway at DuPage will be widened to from 100ft to 150ft, offering pavement rehabilitation as well as better crosswind capability for aircraft as large as Boeing Business Jet.

DuPage has selected Illinois-based Martam Construction as the contractor for the project.

DuPage Airport executive director David Bird said that widening runway 2L/20 gives additional operational capacity and continues with the capital improvement programme to build for the future.

"As the industry grows, we continue to invest in our facility so DuPage is well positioned to capture that growth in business aviation that has been forecasted by the FAA and others," Bird added.

The project will be completely funded from the airport authority's revenue and is expected to have only a nominal impact on flight operations.

In 2013, the airport completed a project to increase the length of its secondary runway to 6,430ft, to facilitate backup services during maintenance and construction of the primary runway.

Other improvements which are currently underway at the airport include a new 30,000ft² transient hangar designed for storage of G650/Global aircraft, which is slated for completion in 2015.