A new runway in Aniak is in the works for $55 million. People who live there don't see any need.
ANIAK — From the air, the Kuskokwim River village of Aniak is a striking oval of homes and stores, lodges and offices, even a pizza place, all surrounding an airport that is unusually big for a small town.
The World War II-era airport stands out as a central feature of a community cordoned off by the Kuskokwim and Aniak rivers and Aniak Slough. This is a flood-prone island of 500 people.
Now the state of Alaska is about to launch a project to shift the Aniak runway 261 feet at an estimated cost of $55 million. But almost no one in the village sees the runway relocation as necessary or even beneficial, beyond construction jobs and a temporary boost to local lodges and other businesses. The state airport will stay where it is, slap dab in the center of town.
In practical terms, the runway will be shorter, narrower — and safer, according to the state Department of Transportation. And with that, the Federal Aviation Administration will pay most of the bill.
Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/rural-alaska/2017/03/16/a-new-runway-in-aniak-is-in-the-works-for-55-million-people-who-live-there-dont-see-any-need/