Cortez Municipal Airport closed its runway Saturday to begin a $8.6 million rehabilitation project that includes a new overlay, grooved surfacing and lighting upgrades to modernize infrastructure, enhance safety and extend the runway’s lifespan by up to 30 years.
The federally funded project, supported by state and local grants, will keep the runway closed through Friday, Oct. 24. Crews will mill and overlay 4 inches of asphalt on the runway and taxiway connectors, install grooved surfacing to improve aircraft braking and drainage, and replace aging navigational aids.
Additional upgrades include converting runway lighting to energy-efficient LED systems, installing a new electrical vault with a backup generator, and relocating the center windsock and segmented circle. Millings from the runway will be reused to improve access roads along the airport’s perimeter fence.
Airport Manager Jeremy Patton said the current runway surface, though still safe for operations, is more than 12 years overdue for maintenance. The last major runway construction at the airport occurred in the late 1990s.
“Old Castle Group, SW, d.b.a Four Corners Materials is the prime contractor on the project, and our engineering firm is Garver LLC out of Denver,” Patton said.
Local matching funds for the project come from American Rescue Plan Act allocations made in 2023 for airport improvements. Those funds are expected to be spent by the end of 2025.
While the October closure will suspend all runway operations, additional work planned for spring 2026 – including electrical upgrades and final asphalt grooving – will require about 30 overnight closures. Patton said those are expected to have minimal impact on airline schedules and daily flight operations.
