From the Flight Deck

The lettering is gone. “MARSHFIELD” stood tall on the municipal airport’s east ramp, easily visible to pilots above. That it is gone, however, is a sure sign of progress.

The final phase of the Marshfield Municipal Airport safety improvement project is underway, 23 years after it emerged as a goal of the Airport Commission and the town. The first phase saw the construction of a new runway 3,900 feet long, compared to the former runway’s 3,000 feet. Also, the runway was widened from 75 feet to 100 feet. These were deemed important safety measures, allowing aircraft to take off and land more safely.

Enhancing airport safety is a high priority for the Commission and airport fixed base operator Shoreline Aviation, as well as the FAA and MassDOT’s Aeronautics Division, which fund and administer a grant, respectively, financing most of the project. This project brings the airport to current FAA standards.

The runway phase concluded in 2014. In Phase 2, the asphalt ramp – or the open paved area where aircraft park, load, fuel, tie down, and traverse to access the runway area – will be removed and replaced. This project is part of the Land Use with Higher Potential Pollutant Loads (LUHPPL) initiative, a conditional order to the runway program. It is a complete reconstruction and improvement of the main ramp to its borders with Taxiway Alpha, and it is essential to ensure continued operational safety and environmental compliance.

Wetlands at the airport are protected.

Wetlands are protected at GHG.

The ramp reconstruction is underway, with its own two phases. Work began on the east ramp (run-up area) and the northern access road prior to starting work on the main ramp. Construction company Lawrence Lynch Corp. has removed east ramp and access road pavement and dug up about two feet of ramp soil, impacted over many years by frost issues, according to Nick Prescott, the resident project representative with Airport Solutions Group. ASG is the airport’s consulting firm who designed the project. That soil is being mixed with fresh soil and stone to make a new bed for a couple of thick coats of paving.

When the main ramp is being worked, aircraft owners and charter clients will be asked to park in front of the terminal building on Old Colony Lane, and Shoreline personnel will transport them through Gate 1 (the first gate coming down the lane) to access hangars and departure locations. The normal access at Gate 2 (next to the terminal) will be closed during this phase. The entire project is expected to take up to 12 weeks.