GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – Gerald R. Ford International Airport is reopening one of its runways after a roughly $4 million construction project. The West Michigan Aviation Academy’s flight school is scheduled to make the first flight Friday on the east-west runway just north of the airport’s terminal. The runway is designed for smaller general aviation and flight training. The project replaced the concrete runway surface, which had degraded. Airport Executive Director Brian Ryks says in a statement the project “represents our commitment to the general aviation and flight training community at our airport.” Reconstruction work began in June. The total project cost is just over $4 million, with 90 percent covered by the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program. The airport and the Michigan Department of Transportation contributed 5 percent each.
