Port of Othello prepares to expand runway 400 feet
Lynne Lynch/Columbia Basin Herald<br> Land was recently acquired to accommodate a planned extension of the Port of Othello's airport runway.
OTHELLO — The Port of Othello plans to extend its airport runway from roughly 3,600 feet to 4,000 feet.
The port is waiting for about $4 million in federal money to come through to pay for the extension.
To prepare, the port recently acquired $1 million in land to allow room for the runway, said Othello Port Administrator Mike Beardsley.
The land consists of a number of different pieces, including a residence, he said. Some property will probably be traded for other property.
The port-owned airport is located on Bench Road south of Othello.
The problem with the current runway is that there are several residences in line with it, Beardsley said. There’s also a lump in the runway, he added.
When the new runway is completed, the existing runway would become a taxiway.
The Federal Aviation Administration is paying for 95 percent of the cost, he said.
If federal stimulus money comes through, work could start the beginning of 2010. If not, it may take between two to four years to begin the work, he estimated.
Four planes are on site at the airport and involved with crop dusting.
Recreational and business flyers also use the airport, and another 20 planes either commute to work from Ritzville or are farmers flying into Othello for the day.
Emergency medical flights also depart from the airport.