Sinkhole leaves Tri-Cities Airport runway closed a second day, flights canceled

BLOUNTVILLE — The Tri-Cities Airport's main runway remained closed all day Wednesday due to a sinkhole halting operations. The airport's first report Wednesday morning states concrete was poured as part of the repair process and crews "are allowing adequate time for the material to cure before additional work and evaluations can be completed." Gene Cossey, president and CEO of the Tri-Cities Airport Authority, said at the airport later Wednesday morning that the concrete used to fill the void was in place by 9 p.m. Tuesday and would take 24 to 36 hours to cure. A later press release from the airport, sent around 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, said the runway is expected to open and resume normal operations on Thursday. "The reopening timeline remains reliant on the successful completion of all repairs and required evaluations," the release states. "This timeline is subject to change. "Safety is our number one priority. We're not going to rush something when it comes to runway safety and stability," Cossey said. "These things are unfortunate. They happen." He thanked passengers for being "gracious and understanding" about the situation. "Twenty-four to 36 hours is a reasonable estimate." The outage left folks trying to fly into or out of the airport scrambling, with rental cars and flights to nearby airport in the region in high demand. All flights arriving and departing from Tri-Cities Airport were listed as canceled for Wednesday. "Decisions regarding delays or cancellations are made by the individual airlines," the release states. "Passengers should check directly with their airline regarding the status of upcoming flights." For the latest flight cancellations and information, visit https://flytri.com/traveler/flights/. Aruban trip tale Kingsport resident Lisa Neeley and her boyfriend, Brian Gillis, said they had a great vacation to Aruba but weren't able to fly from the Charlotte, North Carolina, airport Tuesday evening to Tri-Cities as planned. Instead, they spent an unexpected night in Charlotte after finding a hotel room on the seventh try. "I'm just glad it happend at the end, not the beginning," Neeley said outside the terminal building at Tri-Cities after talking with American Airlines counter employees. Neeley said she was a little upset that she and Gillis didn't find out their flight home, American Flight 55912, was cancelled until 8:44 p.m. Tuesday. After spending the night in Charlotte, Wednesday they flew from Charlotte to Asheville, a "15-minute flight," she said, before renting a car to drive on to Tri-Cities. Their baggage wasn't with them, but she said American got it forwarded to Tri-Cities Airport. Tri-City Shuttle Co., a business able to offer transportation services across state lines, had a small bus in front of the terminal building mid-morning Wednesday. Owner Barry Robinson said the business Wednesday helped get people to and from Charlotte, Asheville and Knoxville. He said those trips involved Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina folks, and the business also has served Kentucky. Background According to an initial news release, the airport closed the runway Tuesday after identifying a "condition requiring evaluation and repair." The sinkhole was described as 20-foot by 20-foot by 17-foot beneath the runway surface. Cossey Wednesday morning said the void may have been up to a 25-foot depth since it wasn't measured exactly. Either way, it would be roughly the size of some tiny homes. The void developed in the middle of the main runway near the section of Final Forge at Aerospace Park. A work truck with flashing lights and workers could be seen Wednesday morning near that area of the runway, but Cossey said those workers were doing maintenance at an opportune time while the main runway was closed. The actual sinkhole was surround by orange traffic markers not too far west of where the truck with flashing lights was mid-morning Wednesday. In seven years working at the airport, Cossey said this marks the first time a runway sinkhole has developed, although he said some infield, safety area and taxiway areas have had small sinkhole issues that were handled without closing the runway. East Tennesee has karst terrain, something caused by limestone and clay soils that causes sinkholes and caves. He said when airport employees first noticed the hole, they checked to see how large and deep it was and then had engineers do further investigation after the runway was closed to use. A news release about the situation went out around 5 p.m. Tuesday. "This happens in Northeast Tennessee," Cossey said. West Ridge High School, which opened in 2021 just north of Interstate 81 a few miles from the airport, has had issues with sinkholes and "drop outs" under its track around the football field. Tri-Cities Airport, formerly Tri-Cities Regional Airport, opened in 1937. Runway 5/23 is the long runway used for commercial flights. On Wednesday, Cossey said that general aviation also uses the main runway but some planes still can use the smaller runway. Runway 9/27, the smaller runway at the airport, is still open at this time.