Charleston Single-Tracking

Officials at JB Charleston, S.C., are preparing to close the base’s main runway to begin a $40 million full-up replacement of its 9,000-foot surface over the next year, reported Charleston’s Post and Courier on June 6. During the work, which is slated to begin on June 18, Charleston’s C-17s as well as the approximately 128 commercial flights transiting the runway each day will be diverted to the base’s and conjoined commercial airport’s secondary runway, according to the newspaper. “We expect everything to run smoothly,” said Charleston International Airport spokeswoman Becky Beaman. This construction will mark the first time that the Air Force has redone the runway since its construction in the 1940s. Charleston is home to the Air Force’s largest C-17 force, which the 437th Airlift Wing and Air Force Reserve Command’s 315th AW jointly operate.