Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 10
Situational Awareness
Conflict Ground Conflict; Critical; Ground Incursion Runway
Company Policy; Environment - Non Weather Related; Procedure; Human Factors
While working locals combined with Ground Control; I issued a takeoff clearance to Aircraft X. The pilot informed me that while departing a vehicle had crossed the runway near midfield in front of him and that the pilot was still taking off and would pass behind him. The vehicle that crossed is part of the construction team working on repaving runways. The procedures for crossing the active runway is a single point of contact on the ground who is also part of the construction team. The vehicle that crossed the runway did not have permission to do so; now a radio to contact me for crossing. Someone with radio communication who is familiar with air traffic radio calls and phraseology to be put in charge of the crossings; which has already been put into place.
I had just taken position maybe 2 minutes prior to the incident occurring. My back was turned away from the runways as I was seated at my position. I was on the shout line doing some coordination when I heard some yelling from the other controllers in the tower cab reference a vehicle crossing a runway in front of an aircraft. My understanding is that the Local Controller was not in contact with this vehicle in any way; nor gave permission to any vehicle during this time to cross the runway. It is my belief that a breakdown in runway crossing procedures from the construction side of things is what led to this happening. My recommendation is no more single point of contact for runway crossings. At minimum one person or point of contact on either side of the runway both with radio capabilities to control the line from the closed non-movement area to the runway movement area.
MHW Tower controllers reported a departing aircraft notified them they took off over a vehicle which was on the runway.