New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced that a runway that had been closed for a planned rehabilitation at Newark Liberty International Airport will reopen 13 days ahead of schedule, allowing regular runway operations to resume at Newark Liberty on Monday, June 2. The Port Authority continues to support the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in its efforts to return capacity to the airport.
The planned rehabilitation work was required for Runway 4L-22R 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 worked to accelerate the construction schedule by bringing in additional crews, expanding shifts, and enabling construction to take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Thank you to the Port Authority for their partnership and hard work in getting Newark’s runway rebuilt ahead of schedule. Great job!” said U.S Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “As we approach the busy summer travel season, this key milestone puts us on a path to further reducing congestion, enhancing safety, and ensuring a seamless travel experience. With the runway completed, we’ll continue our work to harden the telecoms infrastructure and improving the staffing pipeline for the airspace.”
“I commend the crews who have worked tirelessly to get this critical project done ahead of schedule,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “I’m grateful for New Jersey’s partnership with the Port Authority and the FAA as we work to return to full capacity at Newark Airport. New Jersey will do all we can to support plans from the USDOT to invest in modernizing our air traffic control system and fully staffing our air traffic controllers.”
“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,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “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.”
“Work on this runway began in early March with a scheduled completion date of June 15. As other issues have arisen related to Newark Liberty’s capacity, the Port Authority took on the challenge to speed up the construction. We are pleased to be able to return the runway nearly two weeks ahead of schedule without compromising safety and quality,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “We continue to do all that we can to support USDOT and the FAA as they advance critically needed investments to remedy decades of underinvestment to achieve a fully staffed and modern federal air traffic system as quickly, transparently, and effectively as possible.”
Runways are typically repaved every 10 years. The 11,000-foot-long Runway 4L-22R was last rehabilitated in 2014 and was showing significant signs of wear. This rehabilitation project involves milling and paving the runway surface, updating lighting, improving airfield signs with LED lighting, installing new underground electrical infrastructure, and implementing drainage improvements.
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. The planned full runway closure represented the most impactful stage of the rehabilitation project. To fully complete the rehabilitation project by the end of 2025, closures of Runway 4L-22R will continue on weeknights through the end of the year, and on weekends, September through December. Two remaining runways, 4R-22L and 11-29, remain available for use throughout the closure periods pending weather disruptions.
The Port Authority began planning for the runway closure over a year in advance, working with the FAA and airlines to develop solutions to mitigate impacts on operations. This included flight schedule adjustments and coordination with the FAA to ensure adequate air controller staffing to support the revised schedules and maximize operations on the two available runways.
When the FAA experienced operational challenges this spring, the Port Authority worked with contractors to accelerate the construction schedule and minimize the impact on travelers. Additional crews were mobilized from offsite projects and shifts were expanded. Work was performed around the clock, with milling taking place overnight ahead of paving work the following day. A second asphalt plant was also brought online, nearly doubling the amount of asphalt production, allowing pavement work to be completed ahead of schedule.
Newark Liberty’s second main runway, the neighboring 4R-22L, was last rehabilitated in 2021. That project included a 60-day full closure of runway 4R-22L with minimal disruption to airport operations.
The Port Authority’s multi-billion-dollar investment in Newark Liberty has included airside improvements in runway rehabilitation and taxiway enhancement projects, as well as significant passenger-facing upgrades, such as the 2023 opening of the award-winning new Terminal A, initial work toward building a new modern AirTrain Newark system, and the 2024 unveiling of the EWR Vision Plan, a comprehensive reimagining of the entire airport complete with modern terminals and infrastructure, a more intuitive airport roadway network, and a redesigned taxiway network to accommodate more aircraft and reduce delays.
