Newark Airport Reopens Crucial Runway Ahead Of Schedule

NEWARK, NJ — Newark Liberty International Airport has reopened one of its major runways after a three-month closure to repave the surface and add key upgrades, nearly a week sooner than expected, officials say.

Originally set to reopen Oct. 1, the runway returned to service on Monday, five days ahead of schedule, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey stated.

The work was accelerated to take advantage of reduced flight schedules resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, the runway, which serves as a primary landing facility at Newark Liberty, handled nearly 50 percent of the airport’s flight activity, officials said.

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With the reopening, all airport runways are again operational during peak hours. Auxiliary work, including taxiway and lighting improvements, will continue off peak into the spring of 2022, officials said Wednesday.

Port Authority officials said:

“The additional work scheduled into next year during off-peak hours will upgrade the Ground Based Augmentation System power infrastructure and provide replacement and installation of fixtures and associated electrical infrastructure for the remaining runway and taxiway lighting systems.”

According to the Port Authority, the $84.2 million project was staged in consultation with the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines to minimize operational impacts. It includes:

• Paving covering pavement that is the equivalent of more than 63 football fields
• More than 100,000 feet of cable for tarmac lighting infrastructure
• Installation of more than 64,000 linear feet of electrical conduit
• Coordination of more than 500 truck deliveries to and from the tarmac during peak activity days

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