New York’s John F Kennedy airport has closed one of its four runways for a US$355 million reconstruction “to improve safety and increase peak period capacity”.
The runway will be closed through to November 2019, during which time it will be extended and widened by 33 per cent. The airport says it will use concrete to reconstruct the landing strip, which will extend its useful life to 40 years rather than the eight to 12 years seen with asphalt.
The reconstruction project will also include the installation of new lights, signs, cables and navigational aids to help the airport meet new safety standards.
JFK says the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has developed a plan to manage aircraft traffic while the runway is closed, while the Port Authority, which runs the airport, will monitor arrival, departure and taxi times to ensure disruption is minimised.
The runway handles approximately one-third of arrivals at JFK.
Port Authority chairman Kevin O’Toole said: “The Port Authority recognises the need for infrastructure upgrades to improve the customer’s flight experience and to better maintain and operate our facilities and assets. This project is critical to achieve those goals and we are working to ensure minimal impact while the reconstruction is under way.”
jfkairport.com