Time-lapse video shows crews quickly repairing worn out section of runway at RDU

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Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Time-lapse video shows runway repair at RDU
Some cool video released by Raleigh-Durham International Airport shows the hard work that goes into maintaining an airport runway.

Some cool video released by Raleigh-Durham International Airport shows the hard work that goes into maintaining an airport runway.

RDU condensed nearly 20 hours of work into a 30-second video featured on its YouTube page.

The video starts with the takeoff of an American Airlines flight to London. Once the plane is wheels up, RDU crew members get to work.

They tear up a 625-square-foot slab of concrete, pour brand new concrete into the space and let it dry. They're able to finish all of that in time for the same airplane to land on the same runway 20 hours later.

The runway is 5L/23R. It's RDU's longest runway, measuring 10,000 feet, and it is used for big airplanes departing for long-haul flights.

The runway was built originally in the mid-1980s. RDU said it is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to get approval to completely replace that runway with a brand new version.