By Robert Barron
A multi-million dollar taxiway project at Enid Woodring Regional Airport is the first in what officials hope will be continuous improvements.
The airport recently completed a $3.1 million project that built a new taxiway, which now is being used as an active runway.
The taxiway was built from scratch and is lighted and painted.
Runway 17-35 has been closed for reconditioning, and the taxiway will be used as a primary runway until the work is completed, said Don Cornell, airport manager.
The project will narrow the runway from 150 feet to 100 feet and shorten it to make a clear area of about 1,000 feet at the end as a safety area.
The work is anticipated to be a 190-day project to be completed in October. However, if weather delays occur, Cornell said, the project could take until the end of the year or longer to complete.
The airport’s master plan was done in 1990, and Cornell said it needs updating.
Airport Board member Bob Lines said recently runway 12-30 may be extended in the future. The runway, known as a crosswind runway, now extends 3,100 feet, and airport officials want to make it longer.
Adjoining the airport is Cimarron Industrial Park, which will be expanded as part of the overall plan, Lines said.
The project is 95 percent funded by the Federal Aviation Administration. The remaining cost is split between the city of Enid and the state of Oklahoma.
Another part of the plan is to pave the area between the hangars and possibly build new hangars, although there is no time scheduled for those projects.
Currently, Lew and Butch Meibergen, of Johnston Enterprises, are building a new hangar to house their plane.
There are other corporate aircraft at the airport, including Groendyke Transport, Advance Food Co., Rite-Way Construction, Mid-Continent Packaging, Ward Petroleum and Continental Resources.
There also are about 60 private aircraft housed at the airport, and Great Lakes Airlines serves the area with daily passenger service.
