Apalachicola Airport may have to close a runway due to lack of funds

                The Apalachicola Airport may have to close one of its runways in the near future because it can’t afford to maintain it.

Airport manager Jason Puckett told county commissioners last week that runway 8136 could be closed because the Florida Department of Transportation will no longer fund the maintenance of the runway and the county couldn’t afford to maintain it.

Just remarking the runway costs more than 170 thousand dollars – and that’s the least of the maintenance costs.

The airport has three runways – each a mile long, and the DOT does not feel that an airport the size of Apalachicola’s need to have three runways.

Runway 8136 is the least used of the three.

The potential closure of the runway is not a surprise; airport officials have known for years that the runway could be closed but have done everything they could to keep it open as long as possible.

Puckett told commissioners that he is working with the FDOT and the FAA to keep the runway open longer but at some point that runway will have to go away.

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