Runway 30 Blast Pad
La Grande/Union County Airport, La Grande, Oregon
Located in Eastern Oregon, La Grande/Union County Airport is exposed to some of the state’s harsher climates. The La Grande Airport is also in a prime location as a firefighting base to support wildfires fighting in the region.
Runway 12-30 at La Grande/Union County Airport is the primary runway at the airport for the operation of larger jet and turbo prop aircraft, as well as the USFS firefighting fleet operating at the Airport. During the summer of 2015, the airport experienced an increase in larger jet, turbo prop and firefighting operations with a specific increase in larger USFS Air Tanker operations.
The increase in larger aircraft operating at the Airport, primarily utilizing Runway 30, created significant jet‑blast erosion issues within the Runway Safety Area (RSA), resulting in non-compliant RSA grades off the end of the runway. This project constructed a new paved Blast Pad on the Runway 30 end to prevent future jet‑blast erosion and maintain FAA safety standards within the Runway RSA.
