LaGuardia Airport runway 4/22 temporarily shut down after ‘depression’ found during inspection, officials say
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — A runway at LaGuardia Airport was shut down on Wednesday after a “depression” was discovered, according to officials.
“During an airfield inspection at LaGuardia Airport, an approximately two-inch depression adjacent to Runway 4/22 was identified,” Port Authority officials said.
The runway was shut down at 5 p.m. while they conduct testing, work to determine the cause, and perform repairs.
Shannon Sohn is live in NewsCopter 7 above LaGuardia Airport where Runway 4/22 has been shut down.
“Our goal is to complete the assessment and any necessary repair work overnight and return the runway to service as soon as it is safe to do so,” Port Authority officials said. “Operations will occur from Runway 13/31 from 5 p.m. through the duration of the evening with a goal of returning Runway 4/22 to service tomorrow morning.”
There are two runways at the airport, so planes will continue to arrive and depart, but this will cause a significant disruption in operations.
Departures to LGA were delayed one hour, according to the FAA.
For some travelers who spoke to Eyewitness News, they said they are glad the airport is taking extra precautions.
“I’m glad they’re taking the precautions to shut it down. To be honest, I’d rather it be shut down than to be going through a sinkhole area,” said Jen Logan, who was flying out of LaGuardia.
For others, it was a cause for concern.
“That’s kind of terrifying. Especially if it’s happened before,” said Stephen Thurm, who flew into LaGuardia.
This is the same runway that had a large sinkhole last month which forced it to be closed for days amid the busy Memorial Day weekend travel rush.
Frustrated flyers endured hundreds of delayed or canceled flights while crews made repairs to that sinkhole.
The Port Authority says it discovered Wednesday’s “depression” the same way it discovered the last one, with a routine inspection. Although this one may have been a little less obvious.
LaGuardia Airport was built on landfill in Flushing Bay almost 100 years ago.
Passengers told Eyewitness to just add vulnerable airport infrastructure to the list of reasons for frequent delays.
“I guess it’s just a compounding issue that we’re already kind of dealing with, with travel, that just safety and travel time are already on the decline,” said traveler Derrick Woods.
Officials are urging travelers to check with their airlines regarding their flight status, but said they hope to restore the runway to full service by Thursday morning.
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