With the decreased traffic at New York’s Westchester County Airport (HPN) due to the Covid-19 pandemic, airport management has decided to accelerate the construction schedule for the rehabilitation of its primary runway. While initial plans for the project called for nightly closures of the runway, the 6,500-foot Runway 16/34 will now be closed entirely for several periods. Starting on April 21, it will be closed through 6 a.m. on April 25 for survey work to establish runway pavement grades and install wire conduits and centerline light cans.
From April 27 through May 21, Runway 16/34 will be closed to mill the existing pavement and install asphalt leveling course pavement and final asphalt pavement wear course, along with the installation of touchdown zone and centerline in-pavement lights and the runway pavement markings. The entire airport will be closed to fixed-wing traffic from April 29 through May 5, when Runway 11/29 will be also closed while work is conducted on the intersection.
Once the new pavement on 16/34 has aged for a minimum of 30 days, it will require grooving to provide channels for the escape of standing water, and the airport will issue another notice regarding nighttime closures for that runway as the window approaches.
“The decision to close our runways for such an extended period of time was not taken lightly,” said HPN manager Peter Scherrer. “The work accomplished during this period will reduce the construction impacts to your flight operations when we return to our 'new normal.'”