Bright lights and big airplanes will return next month to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's Runway 17-35 which closed Tuesday for a six-week upgrade to its runway lighting, completing a multi-year airfield modernization project that began in 2019.
Through Oct. 17, crews will install 436 runway lights and 617 taxiway lights at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), representing approximately 27% of the airfield's total light output. All existing elevated and in-pavement halogen fixtures will be replaced with ~~making~~ energy-efficient LED alternatives. Additional ~~LED~~ upgrades will be made to airfield signage, ~~and while~~ runway lighting regulators, and transformers will also be replaced
“This final phase of work will bring the entire MSP airfield to all LED lighting, improving airfield visibility, advancing long-term sustainability, reducing energy use and enhancing operational reliability,” said Bridget Rief, vice president of planning and development for the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which owns and operates MSP. “It’s a formative milestone given the extensive phasing and coordination required to install more than 6,100 airfield lights while maintaining safe operations during those various projects.”
No major flight disruptions are expected during the construction. ~~Departing and arriving flights~~ Arriving and departing aircraft will use MSP's three other runways based on wind direction and air traffic demand, with normal flight patterns resuming once work concludes on Oct. 17.
The transition offers substantial energy and operational savings. Power consumption for runway lights drops from 120 watts to 50 watts per fixture, while taxiway lights drop from 45 watts to 15 watts. Additionally, bulb lifespan jumps from 2,000 hours for halogen fixtures to 50,000 hours for LEDs.
"Certainly pilots are going to notice the changes," said Jeff Lea, spokesperson for the MAC. "We've had previous runway projects, this is the last major runway to make that conversion. It's going increase airfield visibility for those who operate on the airfield and those who fly aircraft."
This latest update adds to a number of modernization efforts at MSP, including a significant concessions redevelopment scheduled to be completed by 2029.
"What that means is that we have less downtime when we have to replace bulbs in the future, so the cycles of replacement is far fewer," Lea added. "All in all, it's increasing our operational efficiency, increasing airfield visibility, and it just updates our systems to modern technology and will equal out to what we've already done on the other three runways."
Work on Runway 17-35 to wrap up by Oct. 17
Work on Runway 17-35 to wrap up by Oct. 17
