Just in time for the busy summer travel season, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has reopened runway 17R/35L following a nine-month closure for scheduled rehabilitation. The runway, one of seven at DFW, returned to service on May 24 in a shortened configuration of 9,275 feet to enable its use during the peak travel season.
“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 during the peak travel season,” said Mohamed Charkas, Executive Vice President of Infrastructure and Development at DFW.
The full runway is expected to open later this year. The rehabilitation project includes a complete reconstruction of the runway with a high-density asphalt overlay, along with new and improved drainage, electrical infrastructure and lighting, signage, and deicing infrastructure. Additionally, a new lighting vault was opened to deliver power to the east airfield, replacing the previous 50-year-old facility near Terminal A.
Earlier this year, DFW received a $45 million Airport Infrastructure Grant under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration to assist in funding the runway project.
This is the third runway to undergo complete rehabilitation at DFW in the last seven years. The project is part of the airport’s ongoing Capital Improvement Program, which plans to invest more than $9 billion into expansions and facility improvements over the next five years, including the complete rebuild of Terminal C and the construction of a new Terminal F.
Runway 17R/35L Rehabilitation Project, By the Numbers:
- 2,680,000 square feet of new runway surface, which is equivalent to 570 NBA basketball courts.
- 2,725 runway lights replaced with energy-efficient LED lights.
- 200 feet wide, the widest of DFW’s seven runways.