After 9 months of construction and renovation, Long Beach Airport’s Runway 8R-26L will reopen at 7 a.m. Friday.

The runway is the busiest at LGB, though not its loudest. It is primarily used for light general aviation, which is the bulk of the airport’s traffic. Annual operations on the runway total about 220,000 takeoffs and landings.

While renovation was underway, the smaller planes used Runway 26R, which runs parallel to 26L. The east-west runways are roughly located near Carson Street (25R) and Spring Street (25L). With the re-opening of the runway, the bulk of the traffic will move a few blocks to the south.

The $14.5-million runway reconstruction, which began in January, included:

  • Reducing the runway width
  • Installation of a new taxiway connector
  • Construction of new run-up areas where pilots may safely warm up aircraft engines and realign for runway safety
  • Construction of blast pads to prevent spreading debris during takeoffs and landings

While Friday is the official opening of the runway, a more celebratory grand opening is planned for 26L from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 11 with Long Beach Vice Mayor Dee Andrews making the “first” landing in a Varga aircraft. Sadly, the event will be closed to the public.

Tim Grobaty is a columnist and the Opinions Editor for the Long Beach Post. You can reach him at 562-714-2116, email [email protected], @grobaty on Twitter and Grobaty on Facebook.