It’s almost time to fly.
The Florida Keys Marathon International Airport’s runway project is nearing completion, county airport marketing and communications manager Katie Atkins announced in a press release last week.
The airport’s main runway has remained closed to fixed-wing aircraft since Aug. 18, marking a 50-day period for contractors to shift the runway north by roughly 40 feet. That closure is scheduled to end on Oct. 7 at 5 p.m., said Marathon Airport manager Michael Legere.
The move comes in an effort to bring Marathon’s airfield into compliance with updated FAA design standards. It specifically addresses the distance between the airport’s main runway and parallel taxiway, which could have seen conflicts if large-wingspan aircraft were to pass in opposite directions.
In addition to meeting updated standards, the move could eventually make the airport more viable and attractive for commercial air traffic. The service hasn’t been seen in Marathon since 2009, when final supplier Continental Airlines ended its route to Fort Myers. Major airlines American Eagle (American Airlines) and Delta withdrew service from the airport in 2000 and 2007, respectively.
Plans for the move have been in the works for years before its official start in March. In 2020, the airport received a $750,000 airport improvement program grant, supplemented by the CARES Act, to cover design costs for the runway change. A mix of grants from the FAA, the Florida Department of Transportation and a $2.8 million local match paid for the $30 million renovation.
According to the county release, General Asphalt has laid down roughly 1,000 tons of asphalt per day since paving began, and was scheduled to finish in the final week of September, with topsoil, sod, runway lights and lighted signs to be installed in the final week of the project.
Next to the runway, Fixed Base Operator (FBO) Million Air is installing a fuel farm for expanded fuel storage capabilities.
While the airport is within the city limits of Marathon, Florida’s Airport Law of 1945 gives Monroe County regulatory authority over the site.
“I’ve been able to keep a pretty close eye on this project. It is amazing, the amount of coordination that goes into shuffling people, shuffling equipment, shuffling delivery trucks, in order to do this in the shortest period of time,” said county commissioner David Rice. “I do know that a lot of work went into keeping the runway closed for as short of a time as feasible.”
