Glacier Park Airport Runway to Close on Weekdays Starting July 6
As crews complete a critical rehabilitation project, airport officials have implemented a rolling schedule that closes the runway from Monday at 6 p.m. to Friday at 10 a.m. through July 31
By Maggie Dresser
Starting on the evening of Monday, July 6, the Glacier Park International Airport (GPIA) runway will be closed on weekdays through the end of the month as construction crews begin work on a critical rehabilitation project.
As part of the rolling schedule, the runway will be closed from Monday at 6 p.m. through Friday at 10 a.m. over four consecutive weeks as construction crews work 24 hours per day, reopening every weekend during peak travel demand.
GPIA Director Rob Ratkowski said travelers should anticipate a high volume of traffic at the airport on the weekends as flights are consolidated. Despite the impacted schedule, the airport will be operating at 60% capacity during that timeframe.
Last rehabilitated in 2009, the main runway is showing visible signs of distress and is expected to reach the end of its expected lifespan this summer. Postponing the work would pose serious safety risks, increase costs and complexity and would jeopardize critical federal funding.
“Because the Federal Aviation Association is paying for 95% of this project, part of the condition is you have to follow their construction specifications for airfield pavement, which dictates weather conditions and that critical minimum temperature of 50 degrees – it has to be dry,” Ratkowski said.
The project entails paving, grooving and striping the runway, which requires a window of dry weather and low temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, as outlined by the Federal Aviation Administration. After reviewing 20 years of weather data, July was determined to offer the most reliable conditions.
“The last thing we want to do is open it up, start a phase and get terrible weather and shut it down for another week – that would be total chaos,” Ratkowski said. “We needed to pick a time we could guarantee we could pull this project off, so we don’t create massive disruption for the community. For the Flathead – that’s July.”
According to Montana Department of Transportation data, GPIA experiences peak travel during July, which saw 77,864 boardings last year compared to 55,386 boardings in September.
Despite the heavy air travel traffic in the summer, 86% of visitors travel by car to Montana while only 14% fly, according to the University of Montana Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research data.
Ratkowski said if construction waited until August or September, the risk of nighttime freezing would compromise the grooving process, which is necessary for safe landing.
“We cannot accept that level of risk,” Ratkowski said.
While the main runway will experience closures, Ratkowski said a smaller runway used by aircrafts including FedEx and charter companies will remain open except from July 27-31.
With the increased weekend pressure, Ratkowski encourages travelers to arrive at the airport at least two hours in advance of their flight time.
“Every day is going to be very busy,” Ratkowski said.
The runway will be closed from Monday at 6 p.m. through Friday at 10 a.m.
Closure dates:
- July 6-10
- July 13-17
- July 20-24
- July 27-31