Talkeetna Airport project delayed until next year

Winter has descended on the upper valley and there is no sign of construction on the Talkeetna Airport Improvement Project.

DOT Manager for the project, Tom Schmid, says that all the money available got utilized for other projects this fall. He is trying to get the project on the list for next year, but is mindful that airports on the road system usually get placed at the bottom of the list. Airports that are the only means of transportation for small remote villages are placed at the top of the funding list.

Schmid hopes the project gets placed into the coming years budget and the bid process can start in spring, but it is a complete unknown at this point. He doesn’t know whether stimulus dollars will have any effect on this particular project.

The Talkeetna Airport Improvement Project has been an on-again off-again project since the mid 90s. It has gone through at least two environmental processes in the last 15 years. The plan has been a controversial one with residents over the years. The current plan calls for a pedestrian walkway along Second Street adjacent to the airport, several new lease lots, some fencing, removal of trees along the runway and a heliport location change that would place the heliport near Beaver Road.