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JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Officials plan to close the Jackson Hole Airport for about four days starting next month to perform work on the runway.
The airport is scheduled to close starting at 5 p.m. Memorial Day, May 25, for runway rehabilitation. Airport manager Ray Bishop said contractors think they can complete the work in about four days.
The airport will reopen sometime between May 30 and June 2, depending on fast the work can be completed. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced this week the Federal Aviation Administration will provide $5 million to rehabilitate the runway.
The planned closure sparked criticism from Maj. Gen. Ed Wright, head of the Wyoming National Guard.
Wright wrote to airport officials that 54 National Guard generals and their staffs are scheduled to meet in Jackson for a conference from June 1-5.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Salt Lake City | Federal Aviation Administration | Information | Idaho Falls | Jackson Hole Airport | Ray Bishop
"I was more than surprised this week to hear thirdhand that the airport is proposing to close at exactly the time the majority of our attendees are scheduled to arrive," Wright wrote to airport board chairman Jerry Blann.
Bishop said about 450 passengers had been scheduled to fly into Jackson during the closure.
Bishop said airlines have agreed not to charge a fee to passengers who wish to change their flights to either Idaho Falls or Salt Lake City while the Jackson airport is closed.
Airlines that would normally fly into Jackson during the closure also fly into Idaho Falls. Bishop said the Jackson airport is considering running a shuttle service from Idaho Falls during the closure.
The repairs are necessary before big planes begin landing at the airport this summer. "The runway needs to get resurfaced," Bishop said.
Wright, in his letter to Blann, stated that he hoped the airport staff simply failed to contact the local chamber of commerce or major area resorts to determine what events were scheduled at that time.
"I certainly don't believe they would purposely single out a military event at a time when our nation is at war and Wyoming is deploying the greatest number of guardsmen in our state's history," Wright wrote. He said that many of the generals have tight schedules.
Blann defended the closure. He said it would be too cold to resurface the runway any earlier. And he said big jets start flying into the airport only a few days after the tentative completion date.
"We're jammed in on either side," Blann said. "We're tying to execute this in the most expeditious manner that we can while inconveniencing as few people as possible."
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Information from: Jackson Hole News And Guide, Jackson Hole News&Guide Newspaper | Jackson, Wyoming
The airport is scheduled to close starting at 5 p.m. Memorial Day, May 25, for runway rehabilitation. Airport manager Ray Bishop said contractors think they can complete the work in about four days.
The airport will reopen sometime between May 30 and June 2, depending on fast the work can be completed. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced this week the Federal Aviation Administration will provide $5 million to rehabilitate the runway.
The planned closure sparked criticism from Maj. Gen. Ed Wright, head of the Wyoming National Guard.
Wright wrote to airport officials that 54 National Guard generals and their staffs are scheduled to meet in Jackson for a conference from June 1-5.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Salt Lake City | Federal Aviation Administration | Information | Idaho Falls | Jackson Hole Airport | Ray Bishop
"I was more than surprised this week to hear thirdhand that the airport is proposing to close at exactly the time the majority of our attendees are scheduled to arrive," Wright wrote to airport board chairman Jerry Blann.
Bishop said about 450 passengers had been scheduled to fly into Jackson during the closure.
Bishop said airlines have agreed not to charge a fee to passengers who wish to change their flights to either Idaho Falls or Salt Lake City while the Jackson airport is closed.
Airlines that would normally fly into Jackson during the closure also fly into Idaho Falls. Bishop said the Jackson airport is considering running a shuttle service from Idaho Falls during the closure.
The repairs are necessary before big planes begin landing at the airport this summer. "The runway needs to get resurfaced," Bishop said.
Wright, in his letter to Blann, stated that he hoped the airport staff simply failed to contact the local chamber of commerce or major area resorts to determine what events were scheduled at that time.
"I certainly don't believe they would purposely single out a military event at a time when our nation is at war and Wyoming is deploying the greatest number of guardsmen in our state's history," Wright wrote. He said that many of the generals have tight schedules.
Blann defended the closure. He said it would be too cold to resurface the runway any earlier. And he said big jets start flying into the airport only a few days after the tentative completion date.
"We're jammed in on either side," Blann said. "We're tying to execute this in the most expeditious manner that we can while inconveniencing as few people as possible."
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Information from: Jackson Hole News And Guide, Jackson Hole News&Guide Newspaper | Jackson, Wyoming
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