A sinkhole spotted Wednesday morning forced LaGuardia Airport to temporarily shut down one of its runways, throwing a potential wrench into operations just as the Memorial Day rush gets underway. The opening was discovered during a routine Port Authority inspection near Runway 4/22, and the strip was immediately taken out of service while crews moved in to secure the area and start repairs. With the holiday travel crush about to hit, any extended outage could add extra strain to already packed flight schedules.
What inspectors found
According to CBS News New York, Port Authority crews noticed a hole near Runway 4/22 during their daily morning inspection and shut the runway on the spot so that “necessary repairs” could be made. Teams were on scene assessing how big and how deep the opening was and shoring up the surrounding pavement where needed. Airport officials said the runway will stay closed until repairs are complete and safety checks clear the strip for use again.
Timing and travel impact
According to the Port Authority, roughly 5.6 million travelers are expected to use the agency's airports over the five-day Memorial Day period from Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25. The agency is urging passengers to build in extra time and to check directly with their airlines as carriers run heavier holiday schedules. If work on Runway 4/22 drags into the weekend, it could trigger reroutes or delays across the tightly choreographed New York-area system.
Runway 4/22's recent troubles
Runway 4/22 was also the scene of a March collision in which an Air Canada Express regional jet struck a Port Authority firefighting vehicle, an accident that killed two pilots and led to an NTSB investigation. The Associated Press compiled a timeline showing how quickly that incident unfolded on the same strip, underscoring why even brief closures at LaGuardia can ripple far beyond Queens. The LaGuardia crash was detailed in earlier Hoodline coverage of airport disruptions.
Maintenance history and what repairs could mean
Port Authority planning documents have already flagged rehabilitation work for Runway 4-22, which could shape how crews handle the current repairs and how long the on-the-ground work ultimately takes. Agency project and environmental files lay out earlier design and rehabilitation planning for sections of Runway 4-22, suggesting the surface has been on the agency's maintenance radar. Engineers now have to determine whether the sinkhole is a one-off pavement failure or a sign of deeper structural or drainage issues before anyone can set a firm reopening timeline.
Officials have not given a target date for reopening and said they will update the public as repair work progresses. Travelers flying through LaGuardia are being advised to monitor airline alerts and airport notices closely for the latest flight status information.
