Repairs to Jabara runway damaged by Dreamlifter set to begin

In the next two weeks, work will begin to repair the damage caused by the landing nearly two years ago of a wayward Dreamlifter at Jabara Airport – and raze the old terminal at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport.

That’s according to a Wichita Airport Authority official’s briefing Monday at the monthly meeting of the Airport Advisory Board.

John Oswald, airport engineering and planning manager, told the board that repairs to the south end of Jabara’s runway are expected to begin in about two weeks.

In November 2013, a massive Boeing cargo airplane – dubbed the Dreamlifter by Boeing – mistakenly landed at the general aviation airport near 35th Street North and Webb, instead of nine miles south at McConnell Air Force Base.

Jabara’s runway wasn’t designed to handle the modified 747 jumbo jet operated by Atlas Air, and the pavement where the airplane sat on the south end of the runway fractured under its weight.

Oswald said the north end of the runway also needs some repairs and maintenance, which was uncovered during an inspection of the runway following the Dreamlifter landing. Those routine repairs and the Dreamlifter repairs will be accomplished as part of a $306,000 project.

New York-based Atlas Air is expected to pay for the damage caused by the Dreamlifter, according to city documents.

Oswald said following the meeting that there is a narrow window of time in which runway repairs could be made. Winter is not a good time to repair the runway, he said. And airplanes need a longer runway for the heat of the summer.

So spring and fall were the only times officials had to complete the runway repairs. He said the repairs are expected to last about a month and that the runway will remain open, albeit “with a shorter length.”

Wichita-based Cornejo & Sons is the general contractor on the Jabara runway repairs.

Oswald also told board members that the process of razing the old terminal at Eisenhower Airport is expected to begin sometime next week.

The first part of the project will involve tearing down the passenger concourse and replacing the concrete underneath and around it with “aircraft-strength pavement.” The razing of the concourse and the new pavement will allow officials to open up gates 10, 11 and 12 in the new terminal to commercial airliners.

But before that work can begin, the contractor first has to put up a fence around the area, build a section of access road for construction equipment and remove asbestos from the concourse, he said.

The contractor for the concourse demolition and repaving is also Cornejo. The project is expected to cost $11.5 million, Oswald said. It will be paid for by Federal Aviation Administration grants, airport funds and general obligation bonds repaid with airport revenue, according to city documents.

Oswald said the contracts for the Jabara repairs and the Eisenhower Airport projects were competitively bid.

The second part of the Eisenhower project, razing the old terminal building, is expected to begin sometime next year, Oswald said after the meeting. He said the airport is developing a contract for that project.

This story was originally published September 14, 2015 at 6:46 PM with the headline "Repairs to Jabara runway damaged by Dreamlifter set to begin."