SFO Runway Project to Finish a Week Early

San Francisco International Airport officials said Wednesday the runway reconstruction work that's led to thousands of flight delays or cancellations will be completed a week early.

The $16.2 million job on runway 28L began on Sept. 7 and was initially slated to be finished at the end of the month. SFO officials now say they will reopen all runways Thursday at 9 p.m.

Crews completed installing a new base layer on the runway and are currently repaving and repainting its surface.

SFO Director Ivar C. Satero acknowledged in a statement the inconvenience the work has caused travelers.

"Most importantly, I would like to acknowledge the inconvenience this work caused to our customers, and thank them for their patience during this critical project, which will ensure the long-term reliability of our runway system at SFO," Satero said.

This was the second announcement that the project would finish earlier than scheduled. SFO officials announced last Thursday they expected completion of the base layer on Sept. 25, two days earlier than the originally anticipated completion date.

The airport is repairing SFO's second longest runway, because it showed signs of wear and tear where it intersects with two other runways. This area is the busiest section of the airport's runway system, and more than 68% of flights crossed over it in 2018, according to SFO's website.

Crews had been working 24 hours a day since the project began just after midnight on Sept. 7, according to airport officials. The construction team had built additional time into the schedule to allow for unknown conditions below the base layer, which would have required additional work. But crews found the soil below the base layer to be stable, allowing them to immediately begin installation of the new pavement structure, according to SFO.

The project rebuilt approximately 1,900 feet of the 11,381-foot-long runway 28L, replacing lighting and drainage infrastructure.

SFO officials are still advising travelers to continue to expect delays and potential cancellations. They recommend travelers contact their airline directly for updates.

SFO spokesman Doug Yakel said Wednesday "there will still probably be some residual delays for the remainder of Thursday night" after runway 28L reopens.

"Really, where we'll hit the reset button is going into Friday morning," Yakel said. So barring our normal weather, Friday morning is a good opportunity for us to return to what we would consider normal operations."

KQED's Tara Siler contributed to this report.