Pothole shut down SFO runways for 8 hours, causing series of flight delays, cancellations
SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KGO) -- Passengers flying in and out of San Francisco International today may have thought potholes are restricted to roads.
A pothole forced SFO to close two of its four runways for about eight hours today, creating a series of delays and cancellations for thousands of passengers.
The 12-inch depression developed where two of the airport's four runways intersect. That forced the closure of runways 28-left and 1-right while repair crews moved in to do a temporary fix.
One passenger we spoke to, says the problem interrupted a trip to Chile for her and five colleagues.
ORIGINAL STORY: 1 runway reopens at SFO as crews continue to make emergency repairs
The pothole was discovered at dawn, ironically in a spot that already had been scheduled for a major repair this fall.
"This is a very heavily trafficked area of our airport, this intersection," said spokesperson Doug Yakel.
"More than two-thirds of the aircraft that operate at SFO will actually use that intersection so that's one of the reasons why we want to make a real fundamental look at this in September," he said.
RELATED: Runway repairs at San Francisco International Airport may cause flight delays in September 2019
Crews focused on repairing the asphalt surface. However, it appears layers of underlying concrete, said to be decades old, are the root of the runway problem.
Depressions are happening at a rate of six to eight times a year. So, officials tell ABC7 News the concrete base will be repaired in September, which will close runway 28-left for 20 days.
