Raleigh-Durham International Airport is in the middle of its most ambitious makeover in decades, a construction push that will reshape nearly every corner of the campus and prepare the airport for a future that’s coming fast. RDU handled about 15.5 million travelers last year. Within the next decade, airport leaders expect that number to hit 30 million — and they’re trying to get out in front of it with roughly $2.5 billion in upgrades stretching from the terminals and parking lots to the airfield itself.
The most dramatic project, and the one travelers will notice first, is the work on a new runway beside Terminal 2. Crews have already begun carving out the footprint for the longer strip, which is slated to open in 2029. The new runway will replace the current one and can handle heavier loads and larger aircraft — opening the door for more long-haul and international flights the airport can’t reliably support right now. Once it’s up and running, the existing runway will shift to taxiway duty.
Terminal 2 itself is getting a long-overdue expansion. Construction has started on the north end of the building, and by December the work will become hard to miss inside the terminal as temporary walls go up and spaces are reshuffled. Even though the exterior will stay familiar, the building will eventually feel bigger and far more functional, especially when it comes to security lanes, ticket counters and international baggage handling. The project stretches over several years, with completion expected in 2032…