Temporary Shortened Runway

The Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport runway has been temporarily shortened to 3850ft following a rupture in a pressurized irrigation line running under the runway, which resulted in shifting structural material under the runway asphalt. Runway repair updates from Woolpert Engineering are posted below. The repair schedule will also be posted below as soon as it is available. At this time, the date of reopening for the full runway length is unknown. Questions may be directed to Billy Cyr, Airport Superintendent, via phone 607-341-8041 or email: bcyr@driggsidaho.org .

UPDATE - AUGUST 3, 2026

Work completed

Design | We made minor revisions to the plan sheets last week to complete the set.
Contractor Coordination | We have been negotiating price and schedule with the contractor. The contractor will be able to start work on-site as early as Wednesday, August 5, pending NTP. Construction is expected to last no longer than 31 calendar days. This duration includes significant contingency time to account for unexpected conditions without missing a promised end date. Nonetheless, the contractor has committed to allocate the necessary resources to complete the work as expeditiously as possible without compromising quality or safety.

Look Ahead

Contractor Coordination | We are proceeding on the assumption that the necessary paperwork will be in place to start construction on Wednesday, August 5. We will continue to coordinate with all relevant stakeholders to ensure construction starts as soon as possible.

UPDATE - JULY 25, 2026

Work completed

Irrigation | We have completed a design for restoring the pressurized irrigation service.
Geotechnical Investigation | Our subconsultant provided full preliminary test results and a repair recommendation on Tuesday, July 21. Based on their recommendation, we have decided to replace the asphalt and restore the base course material in-place. This is significantly less invasive than our original recommendation.
Design | With design decisions having been finalized, our design team completed a set of plan drawings. We provided a review set to project stakeholders on Friday, July 24.
Contractor Coordination | We provided the contractor with preliminary quantities on Tuesday, July 21 and the review plans on Friday, July 24.

Look Ahead

Geotechnical Investigation | We expect a finalized report to be delivered this week to formalize recommendation our subconsultant has made verbally.
Irrigation | We will help facilitate a review of the waterline design by GTCC this week.
FAA Coordination | We will continue to coordinate with FAA to obtain the necessary approvals for the work to proceed on the runway.
Contractor Coordination | We will continue to coordinate with the contractor regarding constructability, schedule, and pricing. We anticipate having that information available by the end of this week.

UPDATE - JULY 18, 2026

Work completed

Irrigation | We have continued to evaluate our options for restoring the pressurized irrigation service. Most notably, we met City staff and irrigation stakeholders this week to discuss our options. From that meeting, we determined that the waterline will be reinstalled across the runway, either in a new or existing steel sleeve which was installed in ~2008.
Geotechnical Investigation | Our subconsultant completed a physical investigation on Tuesday, July 21. We advanced 4 bore holes into runway pavement to assess the areas of concern identified by the GPR survey and provide a control for comparison. Field testing showed that the pavement section and subgrade are in generally good condition. However, we are waiting for laboratory testing results to determine how the frost susceptibility of the soils was affected. Based on what we observed, we anticipate that at a minimum, the asphalt will need to be replaced, and at maximum, the subgrade will need to be excavated to a depth of three feet.
FAA Coordination | We meet twice with the FAA this week to discuss environmental and funding considerations. In the later meeting, the FAA informed the City that no part of this project will be eligible for federal funding. While this complicates the funding strategy, it will also streamline design and construction requirements.
Design | Our design team has completed an initial set of plan drawings, awaiting direction for the final design.

Look Ahead

Geotechnical Investigation | We expect lab results back very soon to help us make a final determination on the extent of the repair needed.
Irrigation | We will finalize the waterline design this week.
Runway Repair Design | Our design team will finalize the runway repair design as soon as we make a final decision on the pavement repair depth.
FAA Coordination | Once we have a final design, we will coordinate a review and approval with FAA. The FAA retains review authority for work on the runway, even if federally funding is not involved in this project.
Contractor Coordination | We will continue to coordinate with the contractor regarding constructability, schedule, and pricing. When specific plans and quantities are available, we will begin negotiations for price and schedule to complete the necessary work.

UPDATE - JULY 13, 2026:

Work completed

Irrigation | We began coordinating directly with Grand Teton Canal Company regarding the ditch modification agreement. We have provided two options for restoring the pressurized irrigation service and have met with City staff twice this week to discuss the pros and cons of those options.
Geotechnical Investigation | We received the GPR report on Wednesday, July 8. The GPR investigation identified several areas of concern that warrant a physical subgrade investigation before we make final design decisions for the repair. Our subconsultant provided a proposal for that work on Thursday and are scheduled to complete the investigation tomorrow.
Contractor Coordination | We met with the contractor to preemptively discuss constructability concerns with the forthcoming design.
Design | Our design team continues their preliminary design and plan production work, awaiting direction for the final design.

Look Ahead

Geotechnical Investigation | The geotechnical subconsultant will be onsite on Tuesday to collect physical samples from the subgrade. I will personally observe the investigation, and we will receive preliminary test results within two days. The finalized report will be sent within two weeks of the investigation. However, we expect to be able to make design decisions based on field observations and the preliminary test results.
Irrigation | We will continue to explore options related to the irrigation design. We will attend the stakeholder meeting scheduled for Thursday. We expect a decision about the preferred alternative by the end of that meeting, which we will then incorporate into a full design.
Runway Repair Design | Our design team will proceed with the runway repair design as soon as we receive the preliminary results from the geotechnical investigation and irrigation decision.
FAA Coordination | Our next to-do concerning the FAA concerns the irrigation work in the canal. The extent of environmental coordination needed with the FAA will be dependent on the approach we take to restoring the irrigation service.
Contractor Coordination | We will continue to coordinate with the contractor regarding constructability, schedule, and pricing. When specific plans and quantities are preliminarily available, we will begin negotiations for price and schedule to complete the necessary work.

UPDATE - JUNE 30, 2026

Work completed

June 6 On the day of the initial report, Woolpert Airport Engineering staff spent an extended period coordinating an initial response, especially focused on installing a temporary displaced threshold. Communications were held or initiated on Saturday with City staff, the FAA, the general contractor from the Runway Shift project, painting & electrical subcontractors, and internal Woolpert staff.
June 8 Airfield painting and electrical contractors were on site on Monday morning to install the temporary displaced threshold. Woolpert was onsite throughout the day to coordinate this work and further assess the situation. Woolpert began conversations with the geotechnical subconsultant to request a proposal for an initial subgrade investigation. Woolpert also began verbal communication with the FAA, to follow-up with an email sent over the weekend.
June 12 Woolpert provided a preliminary cost estimate to the City and FAA.
June 17 Woolpert's geotechnical subconsultant provided us with a proposal to complete a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey as an initial subgrade investigation.
June 18 Woolpert provided a CATEX letter to the FAA to request environmental approval for the project. FAA provided the necessary approval the same day.
June 24 A Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey was completed on the affected area. This survey will precisely identify the area(s) and subgrade depths affected by the water leak.
June 25 Woolpert's survey subconsultant was on-site to collect the topographical data needed for the project. FAA confirmed that remaining grant funds from the runway shift project can be applied towards this runway repair, including to a 15% maximum amendment. We believe this funding will be adequate. A secondary question concerning FAA participation in the relocation of the irrigation pressure pipe diversion remains unanswered.

Look Ahead

Topographic survey Woolpert expects the topographic survey by Thursday, July 2.
GPR survey Woolpert expects the GPR data and report to be delivered to us NLT Wednesday, July 8. Though this is the delivery date specified by our contract, we know that the subconsultants are working to provide us with the data as swiftly as possible. They will notify us immediately of any significant findings.
Design Woolpert's design team has begun work to produce the plan sheets for the runway repair. They will proceed as far as realistically possible without the topographic and GPR surveys, then finalize their work as soon as the necessary data is available. We are simultaneously working on a proposed design for relocating the irrigation diversion structure.
FAA Coordination Our next to-do concerning the FAA concerns the irrigation work in the canal. This week, we will provide detailed information about that proposed work so the FAA can make determination concerning the environmental implications and funding.
Contractor Coordination With FAA support, it is our intent to complete the runway repair as a change order to the runway shift project. This will significantly streamline the design and procurement process. The runway shift contractor is waiting word from us with specific plans and quantities for the runway repair. When those are preliminarily available, we will begin negotiations for price and schedule to complete the necessary work.

Young Eagles Day- Where Kids Take Flight