Muleshoe Municipal Airport remains in planning for proposed $3.63 million runway project

Texas transportation officials selected a consultant on June 12, 2026, for airport-planning services tied to Muleshoe Municipal Airport, the newest documented step associated with a proposed $3.633 million rehabilitation of Runway 07/25.

The action is listed under RFQ26ALMULES00005 on the Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division’s selected-consultant page. The solicitation closed March 25, 2026, and identifies Muleshoe Municipal Airport as the project location. The selection was for planning services, not for construction of the runway project.

What is proposed at Muleshoe Municipal Airport

Muleshoe Municipal Airport, identified in TxDOT records as location ID 2T1, appears in TxDOT’s fiscal-year 2026-2028 Aviation Capital Improvement Program for “RWY 07/25 Pavement Rehabilitation.” The estimated total project cost is $3,633,000.

The ACIP lists $3,010,000 in federal state-apportionment funds, $450,000 in federal nonprimary-entitlement funds and $173,000 in local funds.

A separate TxDOT aviation public-hearing document dated April 24, 2026, gives the same $3,633,000 total but presents a different planning-stage split: $3,451,350 in estimated federal funding and $181,650 in local funding. The available records do not explain the difference, so the figures should be attributed to their respective documents rather than combined or reconciled.

Why the consultant selection matters

RFQ26ALMULES00005 concerns professional airport-planning services associated with an Airport Layout Plan update and an 18B obstruction survey. Those are planning and technical activities used to assess airport facilities, land use, development requirements and potential obstructions.

The work is separate from a construction contract. The June 12 selection does not establish that runway construction has begun, that a construction contractor has been hired or that a final grant has been approved.

ACIP listing is not a construction guarantee

TxDOT describes the ACIP as a tentative schedule of potential airport-development projects. The Muleshoe runway work is listed under the requested capital-improvement program as a construction project, but its inclusion means it is under consideration for funding; it does not guarantee funding or execution.

TxDOT says proposed projects can change in scope, cost, timing and funding as they are developed. The agency also says proposed grants require Texas Transportation Commission approval and that implementation depends on local, state and federal actions, available funding, sponsor participation and final project costs.

What remains pending

The records currently available do not establish a construction start date, contractor, final grant agreement or runway operating plan. Remaining or unclear milestones include final project development, commission and funding approval, final design and plans, bid-document preparation, bid advertisement, contract award and a construction schedule.

Any future runway closure, temporary access restriction or other operational effect on agricultural aviation, business aviation and local airport users would need to be addressed in later project and construction documents. The available records do not independently quantify the airport’s current runway condition or expected disruption.

For Muleshoe, the documented development is therefore still at the planning and programming stage: TxDOT selected a consultant for airport-planning work, and the state’s 2026-2028 capital program lists a proposed Runway 07/25 pavement-rehabilitation project. The next meaningful signs of progress will be approvals, design completion, bidding, a construction contract and a published operating schedule.

Sources

• TxDOT Aviation Division selected consultant page
• TxDOT Aviation Capital Improvement Program 2026-2028
• TxDOT April 24, 2026 aviation public-hearing project details