Like many airports, Kentucky’s Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport (OWB) is using the Covid-19-induced slowdown in aviation traffic to accelerate its infrastructure projects. The rehabilitation of the airport’s primary 8,000-foot Runway 18/36 was completed as scheduled last month under OWB’s 10-year master plan update, with the replacement of the panel joints and seals along its entire length, as well as re-marking and re-striping. Similar work was done on connecting Taxiway Charlie.

With the conclusion of that project, work has shifted to concrete repair and panel replacement on 5,000-foot crosswind Runway 06/24, which will be closed for approximately two weeks. Airport manager Rob Barnett noted that by switching to a 24-hour-a-day work schedule, it will shave 30 days off the span of that construction. Another project underway involves the building of a new service road to improve access for the airport’s rescue and firefighting crews.

“Our activity here at this airport is picking back up, pretty significantly day-over-day to be quite honest with you,” Barnett told AIN. “Although some of the projects that we have underway currently were planned through the airport capital improvement program, we have had the opportunity to expedite other projects, based on the minimal levels of activity, which makes it more convenient and less of a burden for our tenants and users.”