Portland International Jetport has returned to full operation after completing a two-month, $13.8 million restoration of its main runway — ahead of schedule.
The 7,200-foot east-west runway closed April 18 so its surface could be milled and receive a new asphalt overlay, while getting a lighting upgrade to high-visibility, energy-efficient LED fixtures.
The work was due to wrap up Monday, but Jetport officials gave the runway an all-clear to begin handling air traffic again on Friday.
During the closure, air traffic in and out of Maine’s largest airport used its secondary, north-south runway. The change meant a significant change for air traffic over Portland, South Portland, Scarborough and Westbrook, according to the Jetport. It was also closed to fixed-wing aircraft during late nights over much of the two months.
Runway 11/29 was last resurfaced in 2004. Asphalt runways in northern climates typically require rehabilitation every 15 to 20 years.
The runway project is part of a master plan for upgrading PWM, which served 1.7 million passengers last year, nearly a pre-pandemic total. In April, 137,400 passengers traveled through the Jetport.
“Thank you to the many partners who delivered the runway ahead of schedule!” the Jetport posted on its website over the weekend.