WAILUKU » The runway overhaul project at Maui’s main airport is moving forward, but the repair option remains undecided.

Kahului Airport’s 7,000-foot main runway is 71 years old. DOT spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter told the Maui News in an email that the repair project is progressing.

She says the department is working on starting an environmental impact statement for the project. She says that likely will take between 18 and 24 months. Sluyter says once the design phase is completed, the project is expected to be put out to bid in 2016.

In the meantime, officials say the runway remains safe. Patchwork repairs are costing the state $1 million per year.