Selfridge breaks ground on its $152 million runway, and state plans show a longer north end and work through 2029 to make room for F-15EX fighters

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — State and federal leaders broke ground this week on a $152 million project to realign and expand the runway at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, the next step in getting the Macomb County base ready for new fighter jets and refueling planes.

The work prepares Selfridge for the F-15EX Eagle II fighter and the KC-46 Pegasus tanker, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office said. The Michigan National Guard’s 127th Wing is set to trade its A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jets for the F-15EX and its KC-135 Stratotankers for the KC-46 over the next five to seven years.

WDIV-TV reported that 21 F-15EX jets are expected at Selfridge by the end of 2028, with the new tankers following in 2030. President Donald Trump announced the fighter mission at Selfridge in April 2025, and the tanker mission was announced in January 2024.

What the plans show

The state’s request for proposals for a construction manager, issued this summer by the Department of Technology, Management and Budget, lays out what the project, formally called the Runway Encroachment Solution, will build:

An overrun of about 1,100 feet of hardened pavement, plus a 200-foot blast pad, so the runway’s end points can shift north. New threshold and end lighting and signs, and new “hammerhead” pavement at the north end. Rebuilt runway shoulders and edge lighting, with approach lights, navigation aids and the glide slope realigned at both ends. The base’s north perimeter road and fencing would move, and both main taxiways would be extended north to the new overrun.

The document caps the construction manager’s contract at $140.94 million, covering preconstruction services, construction, contingency, bonds, insurance and fees. Its schedule lists construction documents in September 2026, construction starting by March 2027 and the first phase finished in December 2029, though it says the timeline could change once a construction manager is on board. Officials did not give a completion date at this week’s ceremony, MLive reported.

What it means for drivers

The runway is part of a larger plan that also relocates and rebuilds part of William P. Rosso Highway between Interstate 94 and Jefferson Avenue, the governor’s office said. That work includes realigning the road and improving drainage. No closure dates were announced.

Why the base matters

The state says Selfridge adds an estimated $850 million to Michigan’s economy and supports 30,000 jobs and more than 5,000 Guard and Reserve members. The 127th Wing has more than 1,400 airmen, and the base hosts units from every armed service except the Space Force, plus U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“Breaking ground on this project represents a significant investment in the future of Selfridge and the military readiness it provides to our state and nation,” said Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, Michigan’s adjutant general. Whitmer called the base “essential to our national defense, our economy, and the communities that surround it,” and said the project was funded with bipartisan support earlier this year.

Sources:
Office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, “Gov. Whitmer, Federal, State, and Local Leaders Break Ground on $152 Million Selfridge Runway Project to Support Future Fighter and Tanker Missions,” Oct. 28, 2026 ($152 million, aircraft transitions, five to seven years, Rosso Highway, economic figures, 127th Wing, Rogers and Whitmer quotes, mission announcement dates), https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/press-releases/2026/10/28/whitmer-breaks-ground-on-152-million-selfridge-runway-project-to-support-future-fighter-missions
Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, “Request for Proposal: Construction Management Services, Selfridge Air National Guard Base Runway Encroachment Solution Airfield Improvements, File No. 511/23420.JLM,” 2026 (scope, $140,940,000 not-to-exceed, schedule), https://www.enr.com/ext/resources/2026/09/07/1-CM-RFP-(511.23420.JLM).pdf
WDIV-TV/ClickOnDetroit, “Is Selfridge ready for its next generation of jets? A $152 million runway says yes,” Oct. 28, 2026 (21 F-15EX by end of 2028, KC-46 in 2030), https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2026/10/28/is-selfridge-ready-for-its-next-generation-of-jets-a-152-million-runway-says-yes/
MLive, “$152M runway project begins at Michigan base ahead of new fighter jets,” Oct. 28, 2026 (no completion date given at ceremony), https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/2026/10/152m-runway-project-begins-at-michigan-base-ahead-of-new-fighter-jets.html
Photo: Tech. Sgt. Dan Heaton, “201217-Z-VA676-0077.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, public domain (U.S. government work), cropped, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:201217-Z-VA676-0077.jpg

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Tags: Warren · Macomb County · Selfridge · Air National Guard · F-15EX · Harrison Township