Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Re-Opens North Runway
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - Good news for travelers flying into or out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
For the first time in four months, both runways will be open.
The north runway has been closed since June as crews tore it up and rebuilt it.
"We wanted to make sure that the runway was going to be sturdy, safe, and secure to support this airport again for decades into the future," airport CEO Mark Gale.
Normally, when runways are redone, a few inches of concrete are scraped off and a new layer concrete and asphalt is laid over it.
In this case, the work was much more in-depth, pretty much rebuilding the entire thing, a runway that's been there since 1943.
"This was a full-depth excavation and reconstruction of the runway, right down to the sub-grade, building it up with a six-inch concrete base and then anywhere from 17 to 21 inches of concrete up on top," said Gale.
That meant every take-off and landing happened on the other runway, which led to longer delays and a reduction in flight schedules.
The new and improved north runway re-opened at 9 a.m.
The $95 million project was paid for in part by grants and airport passengers.
"It should be noted that FLL's patrons, our passengers, helped significantly fund the cost of this rehabilitation through a user fee known as the passenger facility charge," said Gale.
For the past two years, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International has been dubbed the fastest growing airport in the country.