A $1.7 million grant from Gov. Brad Little's pioneering Idaho initiative helped repair and replace sections of the badly damaged runway at St. Anthony's small community airport in October. The funds were used in conjunction with Idaho Airport Aid Program funding to complete the reconstruction of the runway and eliminate a significant safety hazard.
The consultant managing the project, T-O Engineers, worked with the city of St. Anthony to help rebuild its only paved runway and to build a new partially parallel taxiway for additional hangar development. The existing runway pavement was rated in "poor" condition in 2021 and projected to be "very poor" within the next five years. The new partial parallel was constructed to provide access to the runway for existing and future hangars, as well as to improve security at the airport.
Jared Norton, aviation program manager of TO Engineers, explained that the design involved using a CRABS (concrete recyclable asphalt base stabilization) process on existing runway pavement that was still in good condition and could be salvaged, allowing construction cost and time to be reduced while providing a high strength pavement section.
The project was not without its challenges, Norton said.
"During construction, we encountered unexpected subsurface conditions that affected the process," Norton said. "T-O engineers worked with the city and contractor Depatco to quickly revise the design and allow the project to proceed on schedule Finally, the city was able to complete the entire project on time and under budget."
The new runway will better meet the agricultural spraying needs and general aviation operations at the small Eastern Idaho airport.
"The Aeronautics Division is honored for having the ability to collaborate with airport sponsors to ensure the safety and economic viability of the statewide aviation system," said Jennifer Schildgen, Aero's airport planning manager. "It's wonderful to see the amazing work being done through the completion of the project and the partnerships that are helping communities. It's one of the reasons I look forward to working every day."
