Oakland International Reopens Main Runway On Schedule Following Overlay

The main commercial air carrier runway at Oakland International Airport (OAK) has re-opened following two full weeks of around-the-clock construction. The $67 million project replaced 8,300 feet of asphalt to provide a new operating surface for aircraft.

As Runway 12-30 is typically in service 24-hours per day, Port of Oakland staff conducted an extensive planning process with its air carriers, the FAA, and other stakeholders to develop a preferred short-duration, full-closure option to minimize impacts to aircraft operations. 

In June, OAK received a $37 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to rehabilitate the runway.  Additional grant funds were received last year.  The funds were provided via the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which allocates federal funding to US airports.

A portion of the FAA funding was used to convert an existing taxiway into a temporary alternate runway, so that OAK’s flight operations could be maintained during the Runway 12-30 rehabilitation activities. 

“We are so pleased to have re-opened the Airport’s main runway following an immense amount of planning, collaboration, coordination, and effort to execute this critical project," said Bryant L. Francis, Port of Oakland Director of Aviation. “This important project will ensure that our runway remains functional and safe for all users for many years to come.”

The Port of Oakland also conducted outreach efforts to local residents to be impacted by noise caused by the rerouting of aircraft during construction, and distributed over 600 movie tickets and Oakland A's tickets to airport neighbors over the last two weeks.

Runway 12-30's last pavement overlay occurred in 2001.