Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport has completed an $83.8 million rehabilitation of Runway 10-28, restoring its longest runway to service after nearly three months of closure. The first aircraft to use the runway was Southwest Airlines Flight 716 from West Palm Beach, Florida, which landed at 2:24 p.m. on the reopening day. Both of BWI-Marshall’s commercial runways are now available for regular operations.
The 10,500-foot runway was closed from 22 July for milling, repaving and installation of a new LED lighting system. The work also included paving the intersection with the airport’s other major runway, requiring overnight closures of that runway during parts of the project.
BWI coordinated the construction with airlines, cargo carriers and the Federal Aviation Administration. Funding came from the FAA’s Airport Infrastructure Grant programme and the Maryland Transportation Trust Fund.
The completed work is intended to support safer, more reliable and more efficient airport operations as travel demand increases. The runway’s reopening also restores the airport’s full commercial runway capacity after the temporary operating restrictions imposed during construction.