Closed Newark Airport runway reopening 13 days ahead of schedule
NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) – A runway at Newark Liberty International Airport is reopening on Monday after months of repairs, officials said.
The runway is set to reopen 13 days ahead of schedule, allowing more flights to take off and land at the airport. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy previously announced that flight traffic would be reduced at Newark until the fall season due to runway construction and air traffic issues.
The $121 million renovation project started in March ahead of the full closure of the runway in mid-April. The work left the airport with only two runways ahead of a busy summer season.
There were also four air traffic radar and communications failures and malfunctions at Newark between April and May. The longest outage lasted for 90 seconds, officials said.
The instance prompted some air traffic controllers to take trauma leave for 45 days, according to their union. Scores of flights would later be delayed and canceled, leading to the FAA limiting planes that come in and out of Newark.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the runway was last renovated in 2014 and took significant wear and tear over the last 10 years. Gov. Phil Murphy will join Duffy, Port Authority and FAA officials for a news conference at the runway on Monday morning.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.