Public meeting March 16 on Hwy 51 reroute for airport runway extension

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The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is proceeding with design of the US 51 North corridor, from WIS 30 to I-39/90/94 in Dane County. The proposed project will reroute a portion of Hwy 51 in order to extend a runway at the Dane County Regional Airport. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2029.

Details at: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/us51-corridor/northstudy.aspx

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has announced a public meeting on the project design and proposed changes from 5 to 6:30 p.m. March 16 at Madison Area Technical College’s Truax Campus, 1701 Wright St., in conference room D1630.

Highway 51 could be moved in Madison for airport runway extension


Nicole Pollack | Wisconsin State Journal | Mar 1, 2026

Excerpts below. Read the full article online (subscription required): https://madison.com/news/traffic/article_c6b53ca0-eaef-426e-8342-a6bad38218d7.html

‘An 800-foot runway extension would support “unlimited” arrivals of F-35 fighter jets, whose arrival in 2023 increased residential exposure to aircraft noise, according to the airport’s noise mitigation plan.’

“Extending Runway 3/21 would allow larger commercial aircraft, as well as military aircraft, to use that runway more frequently for both arrivals and departures.” Michael Riechers, spokesperson for Dane County Regional Airport

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is proposing to move a stretch of Highway 51 in Madison to allow for a runway extension at Dane County Regional Airport aimed at reducing residential exposure to aircraft noise.

A voluntary noise mitigation plan the airport revised last year recommends shifting departures to the north, an area that’s largely industrial, and away from residential properties to the south.

Runway 3/21, the second-longest of the airport’s three runways at 7,200 feet, runs southwest to northeast, with its northeastern end near the intersection of Highway 51 and Hanson Road.

The runway “is slightly too short to consistently accommodate our largest commercial aircraft,” airport spokesperson Michael Riechers said in an email to the Wisconsin State Journal.

“Extending Runway 3/21 would allow larger commercial aircraft, as well as military aircraft, to use that runway more frequently for both arrivals and departures,” Riechers said.

The direction those aircraft would land and depart from would be determined by the prevailing winds, he said.

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But extending the runway to the north — the airport’s preferred option — requires moving Highway 51 out of the way.

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A portion of the highway falls within the airport’s “runway protection zone,” an area beyond the end of a runway that provides an extra safety buffer to people and property, limiting how the land can be used.

Moving the highway out of that zone would make it possible to add traffic signals at the Hanson Road intersection and connect a planned multi-use path so it runs the length of the project, Drunasky said.

The DOT is still determining the cost of the project but plans to present an estimate at a meeting next month. Most of the money will come from the state and federal government, he said. The agency aims to secure updated approvals later this year and start construction of the realigned section in 2029, he said.