Morgantown Municipal Airport Breaks Ground at Runway Extension Site

March 26, 2021

The Morgantown Municipal Airport (MGW) and the City of Morgantown held a Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Morgantown Municipal Airport Runway 18-36 Extension Project on March 24, 2021.

The groundbreaking marked the beginning of what is anticipated to be a five-year, multi-phase project. Phase 1 construction began in March 2021 and is planned to continue through the end of the year. This phase includes land clearing and embankment construction. Phase 2 construction is planned to begin in fall 2021, and Phase 3 construction is expected to begin in spring/summer 2022.

Kim Haws, Morgantown City Manager, emceed the Groundbreaking Ceremony. Additional speakers included Ron Dulaney Jr., Mayor of the City of Morgantown; Sean Sikora, President of the Monongalia County Commission; Russ Rogerson, President and CEO of The Morgantown Area Partnership; and Jonathon Vrabel, Director of the Morgantown Municipal Airport.

Jonathon Vrabel, Director of Morgantown Municipal Airport, addresses the crowd at the MGW Runway Extension Project Groundbreaking Ceremony.

Speakers presented the benefits of the Runway Extension Project and the opportunities it will bring to the City of Morgantown and surrounding communities.

The Runway 18-36 Extension Project will modernize the airport’s facilities to enhance current operations, recruit new business, and improve airport safety. The existing runway at MGW is currently the shortest runway at a commercial service airport in West Virginia. The project will add 1,001 feet to the existing runway, extending the total length to 6,200 feet. The total cost for the runway extension is approximately $40 million.

Once construction begins on the runway extension, the planning process for the I-68 Commerce Park will be put into action, and a timeline will be set for development. The runway extension combined with the I-68 Commerce Park will be the most significant economic development project in the history of the City of Morgantown.

MGW serves North Central West Virginia and surrounding areas. It offers daily flights, operated by Southern Airways Express, to Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) in Maryland and Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT).