At around 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, a large sinkhole opened up dangerously close to a runway at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, causing airport officials to shut down runway 18L.
According to CBS News, the amount of delays was minimal, as departing flights were shifted to other runways. In the earlier hours of the morning, delays were about a half hour long. FlightStats.com data indicated that over 400 flights were delayed throughout the day.
The sinkhole is about 25 feet long and 25 feet wide, and is located 250 feet in between the runway and a taxiway.
At 6 p.m., airport officials announced that runway 18L had been reopened and deemed safe, according to The Dallas Morning News. The engineering analysis of the sinkhole indicated that a leak or break in a storm drain caused soil erosion and ultimately led to the ground collapsing. Repairs are scheduled to start on Wednesday, though it is unclear how much time the excavation and repairs will require.
Ashley Magoon