DFW Airport has 7 runways, but one is about to be shut down for awhile | Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Dallas/Fort Worth Airport has an impressive seven runways, but one of them is about to be shut down for awhile.

The airport’s busiest runway, 17C/35C, will get a facelift in 2018, officials said this week. The plan was announced after the airport received $52 million in federal grant funds for runway rehabilitation.

“Next year, we plan to rehabilitate the runway used for more arrivals than any other at DFW, and this grant from the FAA will go a long way toward funding that critical infrastructure need,” said Sean Donohue, DFW chief executive officer.

Although most of the money will be spent on the reconstruction of 17C/35C and its taxiways, about $2.6 million will be used for lighting and ramp improvements, officials said. Runway 17C/35C runs north-south, and is on the east side of the passenger terminals.

The work also includes installation of pavement sensors for monitoring weather impacts on the runway.

Airport officials said two members of Congress, U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, and U.S. Rep. Kenny Marchant, R-Carrollton, played instrumental roles in securing the grant funding.

“To remain competitive in an increasingly globalized economy, we need to make sure that our major airports such as DFW have the full backing of its federal partners and stakeholder groups,” Johnson said in an email.

Work will begin in mid-2018 and should take four months. Flights will use the airport’s other six runways and are not expected to be delayed.

Work includes rehabilitating about a 6,000-foot-long stretch of the runway to a depth of about three feet.