By Erin Tiernan — Erin@concordbridge.org
The Massachusetts Port Authority is wrapping up a runway rehabilitation project at Hanscom Field, with the work expected to be completed by early September.
The Runway 5-23 improvement project has been ongoing since 2023. It involves the total repaving of one runway and swapping existing runway lighting for more energy-efficient LEDs. In the last construction phase, the runway will close for an estimated 37 days, starting August 5.
“The work is necessary to maintain high standards of safety,” Massport said in a statement, calling the runway update “part of routine, but essential, safety maintenance projects” that occur annually.
Hanscom Field Advisory Commission Chairman Christopher Eliot also described the runway-related construction as “routine maintenance.” Other projects include relocating a salt storage shed, installing electric vehicle charging stations, and managing vegetation.
Massport engages in ongoing capital improvements and maintenance at all of its properties, including Hanscom Field. Eliot said part of his work on the commission has been to make construction less disruptive to airport neighbors in Concord, Bedford, Lexington and Lincoln.
The runway improvement is separate from the proposal by Massport-backed developers Runway Realty Ventures and North Airfield Ventures for new hangar space for private jets and added fuel storage capacity.
That project is still in the permitting phase. State Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Rebecca Tepper has asked developers to go back to the drawing board and better explain the likely environmental consequences.
A spokesman for developers said in an email that the groups are “still determining the best approach” for responding to Tepper’s request.
Officials say they expect minimal traffic impact and noise during the runway maintenance, but for information on changes in runway usage or to make a complaint, call Massport’s Noise Line at (781) 869-8050.
