The Navajo Division of Transportation has decided to keep the Chinle Community Airport runway open after all, with intermittent closure for repairs.
The division's Road Maintenance and Airports Management departments assessed the runway October 14th and wanted to close it indefinitely until improvement plans could be determined. The assessment showed the north and south ends of the 6,900-foot runway have significant asphalt problems with some large cracks.
The condition of the runway was reviewed again on Tuesday and officials now say it may be used for some traffic while repairs are made.
Current repairs to the runway are estimated at $900,000 with major reconstruction of the entire runway scheduled for 2022 at a cost of $5 million.
