MYR runway, concourse renovations about complete

The Myrtle Beach International Airport is just about ready for the season as it will kick off welcoming the largest wave of tourists with a new runway and the opening of three more gates in concourse B.

Jason Terreri, assistant director at the airport, told the Airport Advisory Committee at one of its last meetings Wednesday that the runway is completely grooved, paved and striped, however the overnight curfew restricting flights is still in place until some sod placement is complete.

“We are done with all the paving,” Terreri said. “All the markings are done, except for a few taxiway tie-ins... By the end of this week, it will have all the paving, all the striping. We’re done.”

Cold, wet weather delayed the $20 million rehabilitation project of the airport’s 9,500-foot runway project. The new runway has a 20-year life expectancy, and this project brings the runway up to code on its surfaces, some of which remain from its military airport days.

The electrical and pavement work have caused some complications off-season. In November, temporary asphalt used to connect the old and new planned runway was to blame for delays and flight cancellations at the airport. Contractors used asphalt that was removed and replaced daily during construction.

The closure, coupled with overcast weather, caused hours-long delays for commuters.

It was the second closure caused by the runway rehab work in less than a month. On Oct. 21, an outage of runway lights at the airport was attributed to the renovation project.

Terreri said the contractor has demobilized and the temporary overnight closures will be coming to an end.

“We’re not expecting closure much longer,” Terreri said.

On Saturday, the airport opened up more gates on Concourse B, otherwise known as the remodeled second floor of the old terminal building. Prior to Saturday, one gate in Concourse B was open. Now, the airport opened three more gates to address the growing number of flights being introduced to the area. Delta, Allegiant and WestJet are the airlines who will mainly use the new gates.

“So far the feedback has been very positive,” Terreri said Wednesday.

The remodeled concourse mirrors the main terminal with carpet, tile seating and more. Features on Concourse B include seating with a glass wall in front of it that faces the runway and allows passengers to plug electrical devices in while waiting on their flight. It also features a canopy-style sky light that towers over the middle of the concourse and illuminates it with natural light. Concession stands also are open.

The airport is now working on parking lot improvements for its employee parking area, landscaping and removing the old terminal canopy.

Recently, the city of Myrtle Beach gave Horry County officials one year to come up with a plan for the facade of the old terminal building at the airport, as well as what to do on the main floor. For more than seven years, city and county officials have thrown around ideas of what to do with the old airport terminal once the new one was built. The new terminal cost $118 million to build and opened in 2013.

Terreri also said the airport had its annual inspection by the Federal Aviation Administration, which allowed them to review the improvements.

“This year we had a zero discrepancy inspection,” Terreri said. “They were very, very pleased with what they saw. They were very pleased with everything.”

This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 1:00 AM with the headline "MYR runway, concourse renovations about complete."