Southwest Minnesota Regional Airport Improvements
Marshall, Minnesota

The Southwest Minnesota Regional Airport in Marshall plays a key role in serving this region's population of over 140,000 and its area businesses, educational institutions and government agencies. The recently completed $10 million airport expansion program with phased design and construction is one of the largest airport expansion projects in Greater Minnesota in the recent past, further contributing to the local economy by accommodating fleet upgrades by the major airport users.

Among the improvements in the three-phase expansion project was the lengthening of Runways 2/20 and 12/30. A new bituminous overlay on the existing 5,010-foot Runway 12/30 and the 2,210-foot extension accommodates a larger fleet of aircraft. Crosswind Runway 2/20 and the associated parallel taxiway were extended from 3,200 to 4,000 feet to facilitate construction on the primary runway and aid in aircraft arrivals during high-crosswind conditions. The expansion project also included land acquisition, relocation of township roadways, drainage improvements, apron reconstruction, taxiway paving and extensions, runway lighting, and navigational aids.

The total project included land acquisition, engineering and construction. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funded nearly 95% of the total project cost. TKDA provided project planning, application assistance, civil and electrical engineering, and construction administration services for the project.

From beginning to end, the entire planning, design and construction effort was completed in less than three and a half years under an accelerated schedule. The final project phase was completed on schedule in September 2007. Arrivals and departures have resumed on both runways, including the use of Runway 12/30 for operations by long-range, high performance jet aircraft. The runway improvements have received excellent reviews by the City of Marshall, airport staff, pilots, and business users alike.