Auburn-Lewiston airport to perform runway resurfacing during closure

Over the past several weeks the Auburn-Lewiston Airport has started making improvements and upgrades to its runways and infrastructure. Starting Friday, the airport will be closed for two weeks while the runways are upgraded, improved and resurfaced. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

AUBURN — The timing worked out well for local high schools looking for a place to hold outdoor graduation ceremonies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Auburn-Lewiston Airport, now in the middle of a two-week closure, will host two graduation ceremonies this weekend as it completes resurfacing work on both of its runways.

The $8.5 million project, which began in October 2019, will overhaul both runways and add new navigation lighting and other upgrades.

Airport Manager Rick Lanman said Wednesday the municipal airport was only able to host this weekend’s graduations because of the closure. Because it is one of the busiest airports in the state, with an average of 140 takeoffs and landings daily, officials have planned for the bulk of the runway work to take place during the closure.

He said it’s safer and more efficient to close the runway entirely, especially as one runway will be completely reconstructed. That means crews will dig 6 feet down and put in all new material and pavement, which he said will be able to better withstand the Maine climate. The larger of the two runways will also be repaved.

The last time the runways were surfaced was at least 20 years ago, he said.

Local officials held a groundbreaking ceremony at the airport in October, with the work expected to take nearly a year.

“There will still be a lot of work left to do,” he said, but the quick work will leave the runway with all new drainage, lights and other upgrades.

In the end, he said, both runways will be more able to withstand damage caused by inclement weather.

Earlier in the day Wednesday, Lanman was conducting a field meeting for the Edward Little High School graduation Saturday. Lewiston High School’s graduation will begin at 10 a.m., with Edward Little’s later at 6 p.m.

Both schools chose the airport after considering several locations and the students’ desire not to have a virtual graduation. Both will use the airport to host vehicles for each family, while students retrieve diplomas one-by-one.

According to Lewiston High School Principal Jake Langlais, there will be a large LED screen to project the ceremony, with an FM transmitter so people can listen to the ceremony in their vehicle. The ceremony will also be livestreamed on the school’s Facebook page, YouTube channel and the School Department’s website for those who can’t make the ceremony. A photographer will capture images of students as a memento. Students will go up on the stage one at a time.

Edward Little’s ceremony will look similar, and both share safety guidelines including requiring all vehicles to be parked at least 6 feet apart and masks to be worn by those outside of cars.