The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority will close one of the three runways at Washington Dulles International Airport in order to complete a major pavement reconstruction project this summer. Beginning Monday, April 19, 2004, Runway 12-30, the east-west runway, will close until construction is completed this summer.

While extensive rehabilitation work has been performed on the pavement over time, total reconstruction is now required as a result of years of use since 1962 and the increase in aircraft traffic at the Airport.
A 500-foot concrete extension was added to the end of the runway in 1992, and the runway shoulders were reconstructed and widened in 1998.

This summer, the original 10,000-foot runway will be totally rebuilt. The reconstruction will also include demolition of the old pavement, touchdown zone lighting, and centerline lighting.

The project has been planned in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration and the airlines at Dulles to minimize the impact as much as possible of this necessary runway closure.