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Busy Contractors Slow Air Traffic Control Tower Repairs

Tulsa International Airport

Still no word on when the air traffic control tower at Tulsa International will reopen.

It was closed after two evacuations on one day in June over solvent fumes.

Airport spokeswoman Alexis Higgins says the FAA gave them a list of 48 repairs to make.

"The most critical is the sealing of windows that go around the control tower," Higgins said. "What we've found is the contractors that do that work are really busy and it's an unscheduled repair, and so it's been difficult for us to find someone that can come in and get that work done."

Some are simple things airport crews can handle, like painting or replacing carpet. But those aren't being done right now because the unsealed windows could leak and ruin those repairs.

Higgins said there’s currently no timeline for reopening the tower.

That's really up to the FAA," Higgins said. "Even once our work is complete, they will be the ones that will determine when their employees will be moving back."

Air traffic controllers have been working out of a temporary tower since the permanent one was shut down.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.