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Hobby Airport to close Runway 13R for full rebuild; 30‑day public review of environmental assessment planned
Summary
Houston Airport System Director Jim Cessniak told the City Council Economic Development Committee the full replacement of Hobby Airport’s Runway 13R is in design, estimated at about $150 million and expected to require an 18–24 month closure once work begins; the airport has submitted a draft environmental assessment to the FAA and will open a roughly 30‑day public comment period.
Houston Airport System Director Jim Cessniak told the City Council Economic Development Committee on Feb. 15 that the city plans a full replacement of Hobby Airport’s Runway 13R, including removal and replacement of the runway concrete and upgrades to electrical and taxiway systems. He estimated the total project at about $150,000,000 and said the program is currently in design.
Karen Corier, the airport’s head of aviation planning and environment, said the office submitted a draft environmental assessment to the Federal Aviation Administration in December and has begun the FAA environmental review. Corier singled out noise as a key category under review given that, during the roughly two‑year construction window, Hobby will be operating primarily from one runway. The airport plans to publish a notice and open an approximately 30‑day public comment period (to be posted on the airport website and in the Houston Chronicle) and then await the FAA’s final determination; the airport also said it will send construction notifications to residents about six months before work begins.
Cessniak said the airport has already received a $7,500,000 federal grant for design and is seeking additional federal construction funds; he said the program expects at least about $37,000,000 in federal support while pursuing more. He described sequencing and phasing work intended to minimize the time the runway is closed and said the airport studied a similar project at Dallas Love Field to refine staging and minimize disruption.
On timing, Cessniak said the level of design work that has been completed so far makes it possible to estimate a construction closure of roughly 18 to 24 months once the runway is taken out of service. He and councilmembers discussed operational impacts: because Hobby has two runways, normal day‑to‑day passenger service should not be markedly affected except in the event the remaining runway becomes temporarily unavailable (for example, from a lightning strike or a disabled aircraft). Councilmembers pressed for specifics during questions; Cessniak confirmed the runway is about 7,000 feet long and that concrete runways typically last roughly 20–35 years before major reconstruction or overlay is required.
Cessniak also said the airport will pursue sustainability measures in the project, including recycling removed concrete and switching to LED runway lighting to reduce electrical usage. He announced a contractor outreach event (listed for Feb. 24 in the presentation) to share procurement plans and encourage participation by minority subcontractors and local firms.
Next steps: the airport will publish the public‑comment notice and open the 30‑day comment period, await the FAA’s environmental finding, finalize construction sequencing and continue outreach to neighbors and contractors. The presentation to the committee did not include a firm construction start date; the airport said it will notify residents about six months before work begins.
