McCarran’s longest runway reopens ahead of schedule
McCarran International Airport’s longest runway is open again after the completion ahead of schedule of the second phase of a pair of half-year repair projects.
The 14,500-foot Runway 7L-25R, which normally handles about one-third of the airport’s annual traffic, reopened Friday morning.
The runway has been closed since Oct. 28 when the second phase of a $65 million project to replace the asphalt surface with more durable concrete began. The first phase of the project closed the runway from October 2014 through May 2015.
Crews poured 200,000 cubic yards of concrete to produce an 11-inch-thick runway surface.
The two-phase project was developed to avoid disrupting flights during the busy summer season when hot temperatures require some aircraft to use more runway length for takeoffs. The closure altered flight patterns over city airspace as alternate runways were used during the project.
The project was financed through a combination of Federal Aviation Administration grants and airport-generated funds, but no local tax dollars. Over the course of its two phases, the project supported about 250 full-time equivalent construction jobs, including surveyors, contractors, fabricators, engineers and other service providers.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Find him on Twitter: @RickVelotta.
