A runway closed at Newark Liberty International Airport for planned rehabilitation resumed operations 13 days ahead of schedule on Monday.
The $121 million rehabilitation project was conducted on the 11,000-foot-long Runway 4L-22R to meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety standards for runways. Runways are usually repaved every 10 years, and Runway 4L-22R was last repaved in 2014.
Work began in early March and included milling and paving the runway surface, drainage improvements, updating lighting, installing new underground electrical infrastructure, and improving airfield signs with LED lighting.
The runway was closed weeknights and weekends until April 15 when it was closed fulltime. Work was scheduled to completed on June 15.
“Completing this major portion of the runway rehabilitation 13 days ahead of schedule is a testament to the extraordinary commitment and around-the-clock efforts of construction crews and our airport staff,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said. “The port authority has invested billions to modernize Newark Liberty and we appreciate the FAA’s commitment to recruiting and training new air traffic controllers and overhauling the technology that underpins our aviation industry.”
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates three major airports including Newark Liberty.
Additional work will be completed on Runway 4L-22R from September through December.