Construction at RDU airport will become much more visible in 2026
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- $2.5B in construction projects at RDU airport will become more visible in 2026
- Airport building new runway, expanding Terminal 2 and reconfiguring John Brantley Blvd.
- Disruptive Terminal 2 bridge replacement won’t begin until 2027.
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Raleigh-Durham International Airport has spent the last several years doing studies and drawing up plans for $2.5 billion worth of construction.
This year that construction work will become hard to miss.
In January, workers will erect a wall over the big windows on the north end of the main ticketing hall in Terminal 2. It’s a prelude to the expansion of the hall about 400 feet to make room for new ticket counters, more baggage carousels and a larger Customs and Border Protection area for incoming international travelers.
RDU expects it will be 2029 before that work is complete. Contractors will then begin adding to the south end of the building, including an additional Transportation Security Administration checkpoint.
This year will also bring the completion of Park Economy 3, the remote parking lot off Aviation Parkway near Interstate 40. By year’s end, the lot will have about 11,000 spaces, triple its previous size, and will have new covered walkways and a building with bathrooms, vending machines and a lounge for travelers and offices for airport police and staff.
Travelers may notice the airport’s biggest construction project if they look across the airfield from Terminal 2. RDU contractors are moving earth and installing pipes and utilities for a new runway parallel to the existing one. The new 10,639-foot runway isn’t expected to open until the summer of 2029.
Related to the runway, contractors will begin re-routing a section of Lumley Road this summer. The road will be shifted north several hundred feet to accommodate the safety zone at the end of the longer runway.
Meanwhile, work will begin this year on another big road project, the widening and reconfiguration of John Brantley Boulevard, the airport’s main street that loops between the two passenger terminals.
RDU plans to add lanes to accommodate more traffic and build bridges to separate drivers going to and from the two terminals and to eliminate the T intersection with International Drive.
The most daunting part of the John Brantley Boulevard project doesn’t get started until 2027, and for that RDU visitors should be thankful.
The airport plans to tear down and replace the bridge that carries cars and passengers to the main doors at Terminal 2. The new bridge will be about 600 feet longer, creating more space underneath for cars and people in front of the building’s baggage claim level, where the worst backups occur now.
It’s not clear yet how RDU expects to get people in and out of the terminal as it replaces that bridge, said Bill Sandifer, the airport’s chief development officer. The airport is studying different options, Sandifer said.
“That’s going to be closed for about two years,” he said. “So we’re going to have to move all that traffic somewhere else to be able to demolish that bridge, rebuild it and give us the curb-front roadway system we need to be able to manage that traffic.”
Sandifer said RDU will try to minimize hardships and inconvenience for airlines and their customers. He likens the construction to trying to renovate your kitchen while you continue making dinner. It’s all necessary, he says, as the airport plans for a doubling of business by 2050.
“Airports of our size, you’re in a constant state of evolution,” he said. “You’re either maintaining or improving your existing infrastructure or you’re adding a piece of infrastructure to accommodate growth. That’s just a natural part of what we do.”
This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Construction at RDU airport will become much more visible in 2026."
