Governor Doyle approves $2,298,994 project at Wittman Regional Airport

Governor Jim Doyle has approved $2,298,994 to complete the reconstruction of runway 18/36 at the Wittman Regional Airport, in Oshkosh. The Governor’s action releases $57,475 in state funds for the project and Winnebago County is contributing another $57,475. The Federal Aviation Administration is providing the remaining $2,184,044. U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl and U.S. Rep. Thomas Petri were instrumental in securing the FAA funding needed for these projects.

According to Terry Ripp, airport engineering specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the funding is for the second phase of the runway reconstruction project. Funding for the first phase was approved in January of this year.

The first phase of the runway reconstruction project will be complete and open to air traffic in time for the EAA AirVenture in July. The second phase will start in August and is expected to be completed by the end of November 2010.

Facilities at Wittman Regional Airport include four paved runways that accommodate over 92,000 aircraft take-offs and landings each year. The airport also hosts the annual AirVenture event (formerly called the EAA Fly-In), which attracts more than 10,000 aircraft and over half a million people each year.