Overrun construction to begin January 21.

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AB, Japan --  Construction is scheduled to begin on the north and south overruns as of January 21.

Upon completion, commuters should have free access around the north overrun without stopping for aircraft traffic, said George J. Matusak, 374th Civil Engineer Squadron portfolio optimization chief.

“The north side will be closed for at least 18 months,” Matusak said. “With that in mind, we wanted to make sure the south is in good shape because all traffic is now moving to the south end. So we are doing a quick overlay of the south end to prepare.”

This means from January 21 to April 12, both overruns will be under construction in alternating schedules.

At no point will both overruns be closed at the same time, so commuters will not have to exit base and re-enter on the side of their destination. Because the south overrun sees significantly more traffic, it will remain open during the day, only closing at night to limit inconvenience as much as possible, Matusak said.

The south overrun will be open from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. The north overrun will be open 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. After April 12, the south overrun is scheduled to be fully open and the north overrun will remain on night hours until July 1, after which it will close fully.

“If you travel between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. or between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. you can go either way,” Matusak said.

Commuters should prepare for increased travel times due to increased traffic and construction equipment, said Eddie Bagtas, 374 CES project management chief.

“We anticipate there will be an extended travel time on the south overrun with the construction vehicles and increased traffic,” said Ray Ferrer, 374th CES project execution chief.
“Progress is always painful, but this is all for the benefit of the population,” Bagtas said. “We ask for patience and understanding along the way.”