Construction of a new runway at Offutt Air Force Base has been delayed by 10 months, moving scheduled closure of Offutt's only runway to October 2020 when the base's military aircraft will begin a year's operations at the Lincoln Airport.
The delay is weather-related, both Sen. Deb Fischer and Rep. Jeff Fortenberry said. Â
The March snowstorm and severe flooding that swept across Offutt delayed runway and pavement evaluations that were scheduled to take place earlier in the year, according to Brianna Puccini, Fischer's communications director.
Fortenberry said the delay was tied to "Nebraska's freeze-and-thaw cycle and construction constraints."
"The money is there and the timing is what it has to be," Fortenberry said.
"As 55th Wing Commander, Colonel (Gavin) Marks, told me: 'This is going to happen.'"
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Puccini said: "The Air Force has publicly and privately reinforced its commitment to getting this project done."
Fischer is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Fortenberry, the Lincoln congressman whose district includes Offutt Air Force Base and Bellevue, is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Offutt's runway construction was not tied into this week's list of 127 military construction projects that the Pentagon said would be delayed by diverting $3.6 billion in military appropriations into funding for construction of President Donald Trump's southwestern border wall.
"These unforeseen (weather-related) events meant the Air Force was potentially faced with a runway construction window that bumped into the winter season and months when work could not take place, jeopardizing their ability to complete construction in their 12-month time frame," Puccini said.
"To mitigate risk, and with input from industry experts, the Air Force developed a new timeline for runway closure from October 2020 to October 2021."
That revised schedule will allow demolition and other site work to take place in the winter and pavement work to occur during the spring and summer construction season, Puccini said. Â
Meanwhile in Lincoln, the Airport Authority will adjust to the new Air Force schedule with some rescheduling of projects and some renegotiation of agreements that may be altered by the delay, Airport Executive Director David Haring said.
The change will also trigger "a look at what delay does to our overall capital plan," he said. "It might not do anything. We will continue to push forward on our end."
Improvements at the Lincoln Airport already include upgrades for an old maintenance hangar to accommodate larger military aircraft, development of office space and repair of an airport apron that will be used by the Offutt fleet.
The 55th Wing conducts intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and electronic attack missions. Â
The runway replacement project has been a high priority for members of Nebraska's congressional delegation as they sought protection for continued location of the 55th Wing and its 7,000 military and civilian employees at Offutt.
The air base is also the headquarters for the U.S. Strategic Command.