A runway that had been closed for a planned rehabilitation at Newark Liberty International Airport will reopen on Monday, June 2, allowing regular runway operations to resume, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said today.
Runway 4-Left/22-Right is opening 13 days ahead of schedule.
Runways are typically repaved every 10 years. The 11,000-foot-long Runway 4L-22R was last rehabilitated in 2014, and officials said it showed significant signs of wear, leading to planned rehabilitation work to meet FAA safety standards for runways.
As FAA staffing and operational challenges impacted air traffic controllers’ ability to effectively use the remaining two operational runways at Newark Liberty during the rehabilitation, the Port Authority accelerated the construction schedule by bringing in additional crews, expanding shifts, and enabling construction to take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The $121 million construction project began in early March and required runway closures on weeknights and weekends, followed by a full 24/7 closure that began on April 15 and was scheduled to conclude on June 15.
This project involved milling and paving the runway surface, updating the lighting, enhancing airfield signs with LED lighting, and installing new underground electrical infrastructure.
To fully complete the project by the end of the year, the closures of Runway 4L-22R will continue on weeknights through the end of the year and on weekends from September through December. Two remaining runways, 4R-22L and 11-29, remain available for use throughout the closure periods, pending weather disruptions.
Additionally, a new fiber optic cable has been installed between Philadelphia and New York. It is expected to be operational by July and could alleviate the airport’s air traffic control issues.
Last week, the FAA issued an interim order reducing the flight arrival and departure rate at Newark Liberty International Airport. Under the interim order, the maximum hourly rate would be 28 arrivals and 28 departures until construction of the runway is complete.
