Airport Renovation Funding To Be Approved By Morristown Council

MORRISTOWN, NJ — The Morristown Airport was recently approved for more than $7.2 million in infrastructure renovations to its main runway, the latest phase in the nearly century-old airport's multiyear remodel.

The council plans to introduce several resolutions allocating funds to various areas of the project at the Oct. 11 council meeting, according to the meeting agenda.

The Morristown Council previously voted 7-0 to introduce an ordinance authorizing spending on Runway 5-23, which is located off Columbia Turnpike. The airport, which was established in the 1930s, is located in neighboring Hanover but is owned and operated as a municipal utility of Morristown.

Members of the council will discuss five ordinances, which all allocate different sets of funding for the rehabilitation project, including administrative fees, engineering services and other contracting fees.

Officials expect the runway work included in tonight's ordinances to take place over the next two years. The airport website features a timeline for the project, which projects the work will be complete in the fall of 2028.

The project is currently working on initiating funding and beginning preparations for "Phase D," which is expected to be completed next fall. The new phase will include a 20-day total airport closure as well as 30-night closures.

The renovations are being carried out in stages instead of all at once in order to minimize the impact on airport users, officials said.

Morristown previously authorized bids to be accepted as part of the ongoing, long-term Runway 5-23 rehabilitation project, which focuses on standardizing the Runway Safety Areas (RSA) and addressing aging infrastructure within the RSAs.

According to the meeting agenda, officials received a total of five bids from construction companies but chose to award the contract to Union Paving and Construction Co., Inc.

The contract will be awarded for $5,814,085, based on the recommendation of McFarland Johnson, the project's engineer.

Despite the fact that the project was approved by the town, the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program will cover $6.5 million, or 90 percent of the cost. The rest of the cost will be shared by the state Department of Transportation and DM Airports, Ltd., which operates the facility, according to officials.

Members of the council intend to discuss the funding at the Oct. 11 council meeting, which is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Click here to view the full agenda, including the sample resolutions.