Provincetown Municipal Airport - Runway Reconstruction Update

Provincetown Municipal Airport reopens after 2-month closure for runway repairs. $3.3-million project funded 93% by federal, state grants.

January 3, 2003 Update from Airport Manager Butch Lisenby

Navigational Aids:
Most of the navigational aids are back up and running.
The ILS (Instrument Landing System) is completed and waiting for FAA
final inspection and flight check which should happen next week
Jan 6 thru Jan 10, 2003.

Asphalt:
All asphalting has been completed.

Runway Lights & Runway 07 Approach Lights:
Runway Lights are complete.
Runway 07 Approach Lights should be completed by Mon Jan 6th and be ready
for FAA inspection and flight check next week also.

Other than above items all that remains is final landscaping, planting, seeding and cleanup which will be finished in the spring when the growing season starts up again.

Provincetown Municipal Airport has reopened as of November 11, 2002 with limited commercial air service due to weather conditions, Airport Manager Arthur "Butch" Lisenby has announced. The airport runway had been closed for repairs from September 10 to November 10th for the Provincetown Municipal Airport runway reconstruction project -- a $3.3-million project funded 93% by federal and state grants.

Navigational Aids - Progress has been made on the navaids however we are still waiting on some key parts. The delay times still remain the same.

Asphalt - All asphalt work directly related to the runway reconstruction is completed. There is still some patch work to be done having to do with electrical trenches and taxiway upgrades.

Runway Lights & Runway 07 Approach Lights - Runway light construction is completed. Construction of the access road and the boardwalk for the runway 07 approach lights is proceeding. All construction materials are now on site. The delay times still remain the same.

The Provincetown Municipal Airport has a single runway, 7-23 that was last paved in 1971. The runway lacked standard RSAs. These areas enhance the safety of airplanes that undershoot, overrun or veer off the runway. The additional runway space will also provide greater accessibility for firefighting and rescue equipment during such incidents. The project is intended to meet increased FAA Airport safety mandates, a concern that has become a central focus in the last several years.

Transportation for travelers during the closure period included the following:
By AIR - an increased flight schedule by Cape Air of 7 round trip flights per day between Hyannis (Barnstable Municipal Airport) and Boston's Logan International Airport; and
By BUS - additional Plymouth & Brockton Bus services from the Hyannis Airport to Provincetown. The P&B buses will make a stop at the Hyannis Airport. Plymouth & Brockton Bus Lines applied for and received a T21 Section 5311 grant to help defray up to 50%o of the operating expenses associated with increasing its bus service between Provincetown and Hyannis. The company will run 6 round trips per day to assist travelers during the airport runway closure. Ferry service from Boston to Provincetown ends on October 1, 2002 for the season.
By BOAT - Fast Ferry service from Boston on Bay State Cruise Co. runs through October 14, 2002; and on Boston Harbor Cruises through October 7, 2002. High winds, the potential for rough seas and smaller passenger loads make extended ferry service from Boston impractical during the late fall, however.

The project required the closure of the Provincetown Airport for approximately 60 days. The time period for closure was selected for the following reasons: Passenger loads, seasonal materials, availability and winter construction considerations. The pavement needs to cure before the cold weather sets in. Backing up 60 days from a mid-November timeframe, a September 10th start date was decided for runway closure. A committee of local tourism organizations, transportation providers and town boards met to select the most appropriate times for the airport closure. As first reported in the Provincetown Banner on February 28, 2002, the project to reconstruct, mark and light Runway 7-25 was originally scheduled for the Spring of 2002, but was delayed until this Fall, by vote of the Provincetown Airport Commission on February 19, 2002.

The Board of Selectmen then voted on May 13, 2002 to accept grants of $2,979,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration and $231,700 from the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission to cover 90% and 7%, respectively, of the project costs; and to award the construction contract to low bidder Lawrence- Lynch Corporation of Falmouth, Mass. The total project cost is $3.3-million. The Town of Provincetown is using the Tourism Fund and surplus county funds to cover the remaining 3%.

Click here to return