Summary
- Ahead of schedule: Runway 28L at SFO to open on June 21, ahead of initial completion date of June 30.
- Key improvements: 15 football fields of new taxiways, 11 miles of electrical cabling, jet fuel facility.
- Aircraft impact: Closure of major runway led to delays but SFO worked with FAA to minimize disruptions.
San Francisco International Airport’s taxiway and runway projects are ahead of schedule, and runway 28L will open in a few weeks.
Going better than expected
In January, San Francisco International Airport closed runway 28L, one of the airport’s primary runways, to complete improvement projects worth about $60 million. In addition to improving the runway, two taxiways, “Delta” and “Tango,” were closed. According to an announcement from the airport, crews removed the taxiways to make two new ones that would be separate, non-intersecting taxiways.
When the projects began, the airport said the work would last until June 30. Things have gone just as predicted and slightly better. Today’s announcement said work would end early on the taxiways and the runway, allowing runway 28L to open by June 21. When planning out the project, bad weather and delays were accounted for.
Photo: San Francisco Int’l Airport, Ryan Patterson
28L is a crucial runway and is often used for parallel operations depending on the direction of the wind. Because of the runway closure, the airport warned of possible delays but was working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to minimize the impact on operations.
Related
Industry Notes Safety Improvements As FAA Reauthorization Act Passes House
The work on the taxiways and runway included:
- Paved new taxiways equivalent to 15 football fields
- Built an underground jet fuel facility the size of a two-car garage
- Laid over 11 miles of electrical cabling
- Used more than 700 gallons of paint for taxiway markings
- Coordinated more than 1,400 truck deliveries for asphalt
Simple Flying reported about the closures in January and highlighted the recent work done on SFO’s taxiways and runways. Just last year, 1L was closed for two months for repaving and improving taxiways. The work was started in March to avoid the peak of summer travel.
Related
Expect Delays: San Francisco’s Primary Runway Closes For 5 Months
Three years ago, runway 28R was closed for four months for repaving and shortened by 3,000 feet later that year.
Recent San Francisco International Airport news
SFO is currently involved in a legal battle with former Oakland International Airport, which has been renamed San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. Because Oakland is a smaller airport and secondary market, the level of operations there is nowhere near that of SFO. Officials wanted to change that and believed that a major reason passengers did not go to OAK was that the name ‘San Francisco’ was not in the airport name. Because of the name, officials even said the airport suffered financial losses.
After a vote that resulted in the airport’s name change, the City of San Francisco sued the Oakland airport. The city claimed that the name change at Oakland would cause significant confusion for non-English speaking passengers and was already affecting the airport financially. Oakland has changed its name, and only time will tell what the result of the lawsuit will be. In the meantime, Oakland hopes to draw more airline traffic, which has proven difficult. From 2008 to 2024, 54 routes were added in Oakland, but 39 have already been cut.