Redding Regional Airport could close to travelers for a month this fall due to runway work

There is a good chance travelers won’t be able to fly out of Redding for a month this fall.

The city of Redding has applied for a multi-million-dollar federal grant to resurface the main runway and upgrade the runway lighting at Redding Regional Airport.

Officials expect to hear if the city got the Federal Aviation Administration grant in early June, Assistant City Manager Steve Bade said.

“We have been working on this for five years, so we are pretty hopeful,” Bade said.

If the city does get the grant, the main runway would be closed Oct. 1-Oct. 31, Bade said. The last time the runway was resurfaced was in 2001.

The airport’s cross runway would stay open for all but five days in October.

State and federal agencies also use the airport, especially during the North State's fire season, which can run through October.

Just last week, officials gathered at Redding Regional Airport to mark the completion of an expanded air base in Redding they say will be the only one of its kind in the world for battling wildfires.

Jas Shaw, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman, said Cal Fire planes will use the cross runway in October. For the five days the cross runway closes due to work on the main runway, operations will launch from Chico, she said.

But twin-engine passenger jets flown in and out of Redding by Alaska, Avelo and United airlines use the main runway, so the airport will be closed in October if the city gets the grant. The airlines offer service to Los Angeles, Hollywood-Burbank, San Francisco and Seattle.

“They have been encouraging people to fly out of Redding and then this happens. I know they have to redo the runway, but it’s a little difficult for those travelers who have already booked flights, so now we have to rebook them and find alternatives,” said Janette Webber of Avanti Travel in Redding.

Webber said it’s been a hectic few months because airline schedules in and out of Redding have been changing. She blamed some of that on runway work being done at San Francisco International Airport that started in January and is expected to last until early summer.

“It presents a lot of challenges, I will tell you,” she said.

Bade said the city is working with the airlines. “Each airline programs their schedules a little differently,” he said.

Bade said the city submitted a “base bid” for $21.7 million to do the primary runway work and then an “alternative bid” of $8.1 million for the shoulder and lighting work.

“We will know in early June what funds will be awarded and if we can do the base bid and alternative bid, or just the base bid (work),” he said.

The grant would pay for all but $2.1 million of the runway resurfacing and all but $700,000 of the shoulder and lighting work, Bade said. The city would pay for the balance from its passenger facility charge account.

David Benda covers business , development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on X, formerly Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding Regional Airport could close to travelers for a month this fall due to runway work