Kodiak runway extends 600 feet into ocean as safety measure

KODIAK — If a jet needs a little extra space landing at the Kodiak airport, the runway has just been extended — 600 feet into the ocean. But don’t expect any watery landings.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror reports (http://bit.ly/2axcspJ) airports typically extend runways for safety reasons, but geography was a challenge in Kodiak because the airport runway has a mountain on one end and the ocean on the other.

It was decided to extend the runway into the ocean, and an Engineered Material Arresting System was installed. That means, if a jet does wind up using the extra 600 feet of runway, it won’t wind up in the drink.

The extended runway is made of cement blocks that will break if a plane touches them, quickly slowing down even a large jet.

The $59 million runway project started last summer.

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