Airport runway work moved to 2021

EL DORADO — A capital improvement project to upgrade a runway at South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field has been moved to 2021.

Jordan Culver of the North Little Rock-based Garver engineering firm told airport commissioners earlier this month that the firm is coordinating the project with the Federal Aviation Administration, saying that the job was moved to 2021 to ensure that grant funds would be available for the applicable grant cycle.

Culver said the FAA has asked that the design documents be 90% complete by the end of January. The next steps would be bidding the job and opening bids, with a goal to have the work completed by summer.

Jonathan Estes, manager of South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field, said the cost is estimated at $150,000 and Culver said state and federal grants will cover 100% of the work, with the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics pitching in 5% and the FAA contributing 95%.

The restriping Runway 13-31 project is part of the airport’s overall Airport Improvement Plan.

Culver told commissioners that a draft for the 2023 capital improvement plan is due by November 2021 so the airport is eligible for grants that help fund any proposed projects.

A rehabilitation of Runway 4-22 is also in the works.

Culver said Garver had planned to do the 4-22 project in conjunction with the 13-31 project but the FAA would not allow both jobs to be done within the same grant cycle. Culver said the anticipated completion of the Runway 4-22 work is the summer of 2022.