Monday, November 21, 2011

Airport runway conditions call for closure. Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport (KLBB), Lubbock, Texas

Concrete damage on airport runways will lead to closure causing delays and cancelations for those traveling.

There are two runways at Lubbock's airport. One runs north to south and the other east to west.

"Concrete has a life, typically around 25-30 years. James Loomis, Aviations Director said. “Some of that concrete out there is older than that."

Old concrete eventually needs to be replaced and that is the case for parts of the east-west runway. Loomis said that runway will be closed starting next week for reconstruction work.

"The contractor has 200 days to complete that project,” Loomis said. “That will take us through August of next year. We're hoping that they finish sooner."

During the work phase, only the north-south runway will remain open for commercial flights.

"There will be some days, most likely or maybe not, where we will have tenuous operations with wind," Loomis said.

He said closing the east-west runway is unavoidable in order to rebuild it.

"If the winds are such that we can't use the north-south runway, then we'll be out of commission during that time period," Loomis said.

Delays or cancellations may occur when extremely high winds make takeoffs or landings unsafe.

"We advise all people who are flying out of any airport, not just our airport, to contact their airlines to find out the status of their flight," Loomis said.

He said the north-south runway is next for repairs. It's the primary runway, and closing it down poses much greater potential for wind related delays.

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