Project is funded by outside sources
Caleb Daniel
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The Minden Airport is entering the final stretch of work on a brand new taxiway which will improve efficiency and provide more room for aircraft to operate.
Airport Manager Steven Burdeaux said the current midfield taxiway runs from the apron, which is essentially the parking area, to the middle of the runway.
“So if you want to take off, you have to back-taxi down the runway on each end,” he said. “That increases the amount of time the aircraft is on the runway and not taking off or landing, which can be a safety hazard if someone else is wanting to take off or land. So basically they’re just tying up the runway.”
The new taxiway will run parallel to the runway, allowing for one aircraft to be taxiing while another takes off or lands.
“On the Runway 1 end, they’ll be able to taxi all the way down to the end of the runway without actually ever getting on it,” Burdeaux said. “On the 1-9 end, they’ll be able to enter the runway within a thousand feet of the end, so it’ll be a lot shorter of a back-taxi.”
The non-commercial airport has been in its new and improved terminal facility since 2016. Weather notwithstanding, Burdeaux said the new taxiway should be complete by late August.
“They’re doing a soil cement right now, which is kind of a hard base for the asphalt to lay on top of,” he said.
“They have to let that cure for about a week, then they’ll come lay asphalt. So we should have asphalt within the next couple weeks.”
Before readers wonder whether their tax dollars are at work in projects like these, Burdeaux said he wants to ease citizens’ minds.
“I always like to mention that the funds for these projects don’t come from the City of Minden budget or taxpayer money,” he said. “The money comes from the people who use the airport, from aircraft fuel sales.”
Burdeaux said future priorities include a perimeter fence project, a rehab of the runway, and the last thousand feet of the taxiway. Depending on available funds, he said these may be a few years away.