Major Runway Repairs Complete At Buffalo Niagara International Airport

Residents and businesses all over Western New York are celebrating the completion of a major construction project that was annoying people all over the region, no matter how necessary it was and how much we needed it done.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority announced that the major construction project at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport has reached substantial completion.

Like roads and bridges, runways need constant maintenance to keep up with the constant demands of the weather and use. Contractions caused by cold and hot seasons, the chemicals used to de-ice aircraft, and the wear and tear from use mandate a continuous rehabilitation program to assure safety and reliability.
-Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority

Using funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2023, the NFTA embarked on a project to completely rehab the airport's main runway. Construction started in early August, and crews worked day and night to complete the project.

Runway 5-23, which runs southwest to northeast, is 8,829 feet long (1.67 miles) and serves as the main runway used at the airport. It was in need of some major repairs. The construction project didn't just make spot repairs to the runway; it was a total rehabilitation. The concrete was taken all the way down to the lowest levels, and then it was rebuilt from scratch.

The project closed the runway and diverted some airline traffic to the other runway, while other traffic was diverted to Niagara Falls International Airport. There is still more work to be done, but that can be done with overnight runway closures that won't impact regular flight traffic.

With this work done, people who live on the flight path of the secondary runway are feeling a lot happier as there won't be any airplanes flying overhead.