UC Regional Airport Striping Project Ahead Of Schedule

Upper Cumberland Regional Airport closing its runway for the rest of the week while the new striping project is underway.

Airport Manager Dean Selby said the closure will have a major impact on business, missing out on up to 800 operations.

“And that was one of the reasons that TDOT said they would pick up on the local share cost because they realize that we’re losing revenue that we would count on to help pay the local share match, so they’re helping us with that but still is impactful,” Selby said. “But we’re using this time to try to tackle some of the projects that need to be done anyway.”

Selby said the striping process is one that most airports undergo about every five years. He said trucks blast the stripes up, vacuum the debris, and then work to resurface and reseal new striping.

Selby said the closure began Tuesday morning and was expected to last until Sunday. At this point, Selby said crews are about a day ahead of schedule. He said should the weather hold, the project will be finished swiftly.

“It’s necessary work, it kind of is a double-edged sword,” Selby said. “We’ve got to be closed to do, but it’s something that’s got to be done. But we’re grateful that this is the first year that T-DOT aeronautics has taken the entire project on its shoulders. So there’s no local share, we’re not having to pay a 10 percent local match. The state is covering the entire cost of it, so that’s the good part.”