8/20/26
Effingham County Regional Airport celebrates runway extension with ribbon cutting ceremony
The Effingham County Regional Airport celebrated the completion of the runway extension project with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
The airport runway extension project has been in the works since early 2000 when the initial planning began with an environmental assessment. Milestones met after the initial assessment were the purchase of property to the east, an update to the airport layout plan, and relocation of east road to accommodate the extension.
This project is recognized as one of the top five projects in the Airport Capital Improvement Program for the state of Illinois and has been nominated as “Project of the Year” by the Illinois Public Airport Association for their annual conference in September.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by many contributors to the success of the project such as representatives from Hanson, Illinois Department of Aeronautics, McCarthy Improvement, City of Effingham, Effingham County Board, Airport Commission, as well as state legislators. Congressman Mike Bost representative, Rachel Meyers, presented a Certificate of Recognition to Ken Wohltman, Airport Commission President, Joshua Douthit, Effingham County Board Chair and Airport Commissioner, and Greg Koester, Effingham County Engineer and Airport Superintendent.
