JOSEPH – After being shut down for runway construction since the first of August, the Joseph State Airport is due to open again to aircraft at 6 p.m. today (Monday, Oct. 10).

Word of the imminent airport re-opening came Monday afternoon from John P. Wilson Jr., airport operation specialist of the Oregon Department of Aviation.

“We think the contractor, High Desert Paving and Aggregate, did an exceptional job,” Wilson said. “This runway should be good for many, many years into the future.”

The airport will be closed again for only three hours, noon to 3 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 12, for a final checklist inspection.

The project, which was awarded to High Desert for a lower-than-projected bid of $1.4 million in July, included reconstruction of the airport’s 5,200-foot-long runway, the south taxiway that leads to the apron (where the planes park) and the apron itself.

Wilson said that pilots approaching from above will be able to see the new asphalt and markings, and enjoy much smoother take-offs and landings on the new runway.