FORT WORTH, Texas — Dallas Fort Worth International Airport re-opened a 200-foot-wide runway that was being worked on ahead of schedule before the summer travel rush gets underway.
Runway 17R/35, the largest of DFW Airport’s seven runways, was closed for nine months as part of an ongoing capital improvement program to invest $9 billion into expansions and facilities at the airport over the next five years.
Other projects part of the program include the complete rebuild of Terminal C and the construction of a new Terminal F.
The runway is reopening in phases and will fully reopen later this year. It features 2,680,000 square feet of new runway surface, which is equivalent to 570 NBA basketball courts.
“The innovative approach to phased construction and a partial reopening allows crews to simultaneously finish the remaining work while safely bringing back into service what is normally one of the busiest departure runways for aircraft to use during the peak travel season,” said Mohamed Charkas, Executive Vice President of Infrastructure and Development at DFW. “This project is another example of how DFW is leveraging innovative construction techniques to reduce costs and operational impacts while delivering exceptional infrastructure for our partners and the traveling public.”
It's the third runway at the airport to undergo complete rehabilitation in the last seven years. The newly-reconstructed runway features a high-density asphalt overlay, improved drainage, electrical infrastructure, and lighting including 2,725 runway lights that were replaced with LED lights, signage, and more.
There’s also a new lighting vault to power the east airfield that replaces a previous 50-year-old lighting vault that was near Terminal A.
Earlier this year, DFW Airport was awarded a $45 million Airport Infrastructure Grant under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration to assist in funding the runway project.
