KALISPELL, Mont. (July 31, 2026) – Glacier Park International Airport (GPIA) has successfully completed its runway rehabilitation project, capping four consecutive weeks of construction. The rehabilitation included replacing more than 30 acres of runway pavement, upgrading lighting and communications infrastructure, installing miles of new airfield electrical cable, improving drainage, constructing new taxiway connections, and enhancing other critical airfield systems.
Throughout July, crews worked in four weekly construction windows, reopening the primary runway on or ahead of schedule each Friday morning. Prime contractor LHC, Inc. led the effort, mobilizing a crew of more than 100 workers who operated around the clock to keep the project on pace, logging more than 25,000 hours of combined labor.
“LHC ran a tight operation from start to finish,” said Rob Ratkowski, GPIA Director. “Coordinating that many people and that much equipment without missing a beat is no small thing.”
Throughout construction, more than a dozen companies, including contractors, engineers, surveyors, inspectors, and suppliers, worked together in a skillfully coordinated effort to complete the project. Their commitment, paired with LHC’s execution on the ground, kept each construction phase on schedule despite the complexity of the work.
The project’s success began long before construction commenced. Airport staff spent months analyzing more than 20 years of historical weather data to determine the optimal time to complete asphalt paving so the project could be delivered with no unexpected weather delays. The data consistently indicated that July offers the highest likelihood of warm, dry paving conditions, which are required to meet stringent federal paving specifications. That planning paid off: of the project’s 352 total hours of runway closure, only four hours were lost to rain, just over 1 percent of the total project timeline.
The excellent weather throughout all four weeks validated the closure plan, allowing crews to maximize productivity, produce high-quality pavement, and complete each phase as planned, demonstrating that the careful planning behind the project was just as important as the work itself.
“Part of the reason this project was delivered on schedule is that the trends we saw in the weather data held true, and that allowed our team to execute it exactly as designed,” said Rob Ratkowski, GPIA Director.
GPIA coordinated the construction schedule with its airline partners more than a year in advance. Commercial flights were suspended for the duration of each closure window and resumed when the primary runway reopened each Friday morning, allowing approximately 60 percent of seat capacity to be retained during this important peak tourism month. The lone full airfield closure came during a 48-hour period when both runways were closed to pave the intersection where they meet.
The airport also recognized the cooperation of its tenants, federal and state agencies, contractors, and the traveling public, whose flexibility and patience helped make the project a success.
As the Flathead Valley continues to grow, GPIA remains committed to investing in infrastructure that supports the community’s future. The completed runway rehabilitation allows the airport to continue to safely accommodate commercial, cargo, medical, military, business, and general aviation operations while preserving one of the region’s most important transportation assets.
“This project was an investment in our community,” Ratkowski said. “Every resident, business, and visitor to the Flathead Valley benefits from this project. We’re proud to have completed this work successfully and grateful to everyone who helped make it possible.”
Following a 30-day curing period, finishing touches, including runway grooving and striping, will occur in September. There will be no traveler impacts while these final activities are completed.
For more information about GPIA and the runway rehabilitation project, please visit iflyglacier.com.