A major runway at Newark International Airport, which has been closed for renovations since April 15th, reopened 13 days ahead of schedule on June 2nd, 2025. As part of a $121 million renovation project, Runway 4L-22R at EWR was slated to be closed for 60 days. Read on for what to know about EWR's runway renovation project.

About EWR's Runway Renovation Project

On April 15th, Newark International Airport shut down one of its biggest runways, in alignment with a $121 million rehabilitation project to repair its infrastructure to meet current FAA standards. Runway 4L-22R was slated to be closed for 60 days but reopened 13 days ahead of schedule on Monday, June 2nd.

"As FAA staffing and operational challenges impacted air traffic controllers’ ability to effectively use the remaining two operational runways at Newark Liberty during the rehabilitation, the Port Authority worked to accelerate the construction schedule by bringing in additional crews, expanding shifts, and enabling construction to take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week," a press release from the Port Authority NY NJ stated.

According to EWR's construction advisory, the Runway 4L-22R was last renovated in 2014 and was due for a much-needed update. Now open, the runway includes a paved runway surface, updated lighting, improved airfield signs with LED lighting, new electrical infrastructure, and drainage improvements.

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This project is part of a two-year construction initiative to renovate and upgrade several of EWR's sites. This started in 2024 and is expected to continue into 2026. The next planned upgrade will be on September 16th, 2025, for the Corbin Street Ramp Project. The ramp will be closed for one year, and "all vehicular traffic will be detoured via Marlin and Kellogg streets," as per EWR.

Flight Delays

Because Runway 4L-22R, which is 11,000 feet long and 150 feet wide, is the airport's busiest runway for departing flights, travelers may encounter flight delays, as per EWR's construction advisory. According to the Federal Register, "The runway closure [was] expected to impact carrier operations at EWR in two phases throughout the day for both arrivals and departures." This included from 6AM to 2PM for arrivals and 6AM to 4PM for departures.

To mitigate these delays, the Federal Aviation Administration suggested limiting arrivals to 35 per hour from 6AM to 2PM and no more than 31 arrivals from 3PM through the end of the day. For departures, it was suggested that the airport limit departures to 35 departures per hour from 6AM to 4PM, with no more than 31 departures per hour from 5PM through the end of the day.

The FAA has estimated that approximately 21% of all arrivals would have experienced delays, averaging 38 minutes each, and 44% of all departures were expected to be delayed by an average of 39.9 minutes. "These arrival delays would be unrecoverable throughout the day," the Federal Register shared.

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