Construction on Morris Airport’s crosswind runway should begin soon

Morris Mayor Chris Brown told the crowd at the State of the City address Wednesday that dirt will be moving soon as the city prepares to build a crosswind runway at the Morris Municipal Airport.

Brown said the city has already secured $15 million from the Department of Transportation and acquired all the properties necessary for the expansion. The project will build a runway extending west-southwest up toward Ashley Road to east-northeast, complementing the north-south runway that’s already there.

Brown said he expects there to be a groundbreaking later this year, and hopes that the project will be finished in Spring 2027.

The construction of a crosswind runway would allow the Morris Municipal Airport to be used as an emergency landing spot for airplanes from Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport.