Hondo council authorizes KSA task order to prepare runway-closure bid documents

Hondo, Texas — The City Council authorized the city manager Jan. 27 to execute a task order with KSA engineers to prepare bid documents for the previously approved closure of Runway 17R-35L and improvements to Runway 17L-35R at the Hondo Municipal Airport.

Airport operations staff described Runway 17R-35L as lightly used — roughly 236 operations out of about 17,000 in 2024, or about 1.5% of operations — and explained that the runway’s pavement friction test showed slow water dispersion (about 20 seconds on the centerline vs. a target of 10 seconds) and surface deterioration. "This runway is not eligible for federal funding," the airport presenter said, adding the city will use a reimbursement mechanism from a bipartisan infrastructure law grant associated with a prior taxiway project to fund the work.

Staff recommended a "skidabrator" friction-recovery method as a lower-cost option that both removes paint contaminants and restores friction; staff estimated engineering fees of $29,008.78 to prepare the bid package and suggested total project costs could be in the low hundreds of thousands depending on options. Council members asked about square footage and long-term effectiveness of skidabrator versus full runway grooving. Staff said runway grooving is more durable but significantly more expensive; the skidabrator would take about 3–4 days of on-site work.

Council approved the task order for KSA to prepare bid documents and to act as the city’s representative in the procurement process; the motion carried by voice vote with no opposition recorded.

Next steps: KSA will solicit bids and provide an engineer's opinion of probable cost to return to council for approval of the construction contract and any required budget adjustments.