$2.3 million to be spent on pavement rehabilitation

The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority approved a $2.3 million contract for emergency pavement repairs to RDU’s secondary runway, 5R-23L, and a road on campus. The runway and North Fuel Road are safe to use but are cracking with age and in need of repair. The contract with the Fred Smith Company for rehabilitation of the taxiway and road was approved by the Board of Directors during a special meeting on Friday. It includes $2 million for runway repairs and approximately $300,000 for road repairs. The work will be completed in July and August.

“Today’s action emphasizes the critical need to maintain the airport’s aging infrastructure,” said Michael Landguth, president & CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “RDU has $1.7 billion in property and assets that must be maintained and $1.9 billion in infrastructure needs over the next 10 years to keep pace with growth, including replacing our main runway to accommodate larger plans and farther flights.”

The board also approved a $200,000 contract to install a 120-ton an air conditioning unit at Gate C-23 to heat and cool large planes more easily.