What’s happening on the south end of Runway 3 at RST isn’t especially visible to travelers, but it’s one of the most important phases of the airport’s long-term construction plan.
After a winter pause, construction is back underway — focused on reshaping the land, rebuilding the foundation, and extending the runway.
The 30-foot pile seen in the background is where pavement is recycled.
Back in action
Like most Minnesota projects, work slowed during the coldest months when soil conditions made proper compaction difficult. Crews wrapped up excavation in late fall and recently returned as temperatures improved.
They’ve come back to a massive effort. Crews are moving about 2 million cubic yards of material, cutting as deep as 30 feet in some areas and building up others by as much as 25 feet, said Colleen Bosold, Planner & Community Engagement Coordinator for RST’s engineering and planning firm, Mead & Hunt. This process creates a stable, properly graded surface for the runway extension.
Excavation is already complete in some areas.
Crush, reuse, repeat
One of the most notable parts of this work is how much material is being reused. Instead of hauling away old pavement, crews are crushing and recycling it on site. “They’re not creating waste. They’re rubble-izing and crushing it to use as base for the extended runway and taxiway,” Bosold said. More than 10 acres of asphalt and concrete from Runway 3 and a nearby taxiway are being repurposed into the base layer.
It’s a full-circle process: materials that once supported aircraft are now helping build the next generation of runway, combined with sand and gravel to form a strong foundation.
Asphalt is removed from Taxiway B and concrete is removed from the far south end of Runway 3.
Thinking ahead
Despite the work, most of Runway 3 remains in use for private aircraft, medical transport, flight training, and more. Most commercial flights continue to rely on RST’s primary runway.
The work occurring now will eventually result in the 1,647-foot extension of Runway 3 — a key investment that will allow the airport to maintain operations during planned reconstruction of the primary runway in the 2030s.
For now, crews remain focused on excavation and grading. What may look like dirt piles today is laying the groundwork for a stronger, more resilient runway — built, in part, from the materials that came before it.
