The Chicago Department of Aviation is shutting down one of the runways at Midway Airport for safety upgrades, a decision whose suddenness some experts say is “very unusual.”
In a surprise announcement Monday, the CDA said it would be immediately closing Runway 22, which runs from the southwest to the northwest corner of the airport, for repairs to its Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS)concrete.
According to experts, the crushable barrier is designed to prevent planes from going off the runway, but had suffered recent damage, necessitating the immediate closure.
Joe Schweiterman, an aviation expert at DePaul University called the move “very unusual.”
“I have bee watching aviation for decades and I haven’t heard of s sudden runway closure like this,” he said.
In a statement, the CDA said that the EMAS on the departure end of 22L“sustained damage from recent aircraft activity, including jet blast, necessitating repairs.”
EMAS is a cellular concrete that is designed to crush under the weight of a jetliner’s wheels. It can slow a plane down in the event it overshoots a runway.
The use of EMAS became more widespread in aviation after an incident at Midway more than 20 years ago in which a Southwest plane overshot the runway and wound up traffic in the intersection of 55th and South Central.
The incident occurred during a snowstorm, and the jetliner struck at least three cars. A total of 12 people were injured, and 6-year-old Joshua Woods was kileld.
The incident sparked a call for better safety protocols at airports like Midway that don’t have room for longer runways, and the CDA says the repairs are another example of its commitment to making runway safety a priority.
“Right now, we think Midway is going to be alright,” Schweiterman said. “It has sufficient redundancies, but…. it could have a ripple effect.”
A recent study found that the lifespan of EMAS systems is about 20 years in cold environments like Chicago. The Midway system was installed one year after Southwest crash, alomost exactly 20 years ago.
The Department of Aviation is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to coordinate flights while the repairs are underway. They are expected to be completed by November 1, but the department says passengers should check with their airlines for delays or rescheduling information before coming to the airport.
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