Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has successfully completed the major rehabilitation of Runway 17R/35L, one of the largest of the airport’s seven runways, ahead of schedule. The project, which involved a significant overhaul, utilized an innovative phasing approach, allowing the runway to reopen in a shortened configuration in May and now fully operational as of today.
This strategic approach was made possible through strong collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and American Airlines, enabling construction crews to continue working on the runway's full length while airline partners benefited from the shortened runway during the busy summer travel season.
Runway 17R/35L measures 13,400 feet long and 200 feet wide. The massive rehabilitation effort required more than 350,000 work hours and was completed without any recordable safety accidents. The project included a complete reconstruction of the runway, featuring a high-density asphalt overlay, along with improvements to drainage, lighting, signage, and deicing infrastructure.
Sustainable initiatives were a key component of the project, including the replacement of over 2,700 runway lights with energy-efficient LED fixtures and the recycling of more than 300,000 cubic yards of reclaimed concrete for reuse in the runway and other airport construction projects.
"Today marks the successful completion of the largest runway rehabilitation in our airport's history, which was achieved ahead of schedule and with no recordable safety accidents thanks to our focus on delivering a safe and efficient project," said Mohamed Charkas, Executive Vice President of Infrastructure and Development at DFW. "This achievement reflects the dedication and collaboration of all our partners and returns one of our busiest runways back into service ahead of the winter travel season."
The project received a $45 million Airport Infrastructure Grant under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FAA, with rehabilitation work carried out by Austin Bridge and Road and designed by AtkinsRéalis.
Construction at DFW
The runway project is a part of the airport’s historic nearly $9 billion capital improvement plan, called DFW Forward, which includes major upgrades, expansions and new facilities across the airport’s airfield, terminals and roadways. To learn more about the investments and transformation underway at DFW, visit dfwairport.com/construction.
