Dallas

Sinkhole Reported at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

Runway 18L is back open at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport after a sinkhole was discovered nearby Tuesday morning, airport officials said.

The sinkhole developed in a grassy area about 250 feet between a taxiway and runway 18L after a section of a storm drain became dislodged from the main storm drain line, creating erosion of the soil around the drain, D/FW Airport Spokesman David Magaña said.

The opening was approximately 25-feet by 25-feet, however the exact depth was unknown.

Airfield inspectors found the sinkhole in what's called the safety area, according to Magaña.

Engineers determined the integrity of the runway remains intact, and the runway was not affected by the soil erosion, Magaña said.

The runway was back open by about 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Closure of the runway, one of the four longest at the airport, was having minimal impact on the airport, as the remaining six runways were operational.

Construction crews will begin making repairs on the storm drain Wednesday, but Magaña said the runway would not need to be closed during the repair work.

D/FW Airport reports it's the third busiest airport in the world for air traffic operations and sees approximately 174,000 passengers per day making it ninth in the world for passenger traffic.

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