UPDATE: As of 8/24/2020, runway IAD 1R is now open for use.

This article was written in collaboration with Winston Shek.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, some airports have taken this opportunity to help renovate or grow their airport facilities.  Washington Dulles International Airport will close their Runway 1R/19L according to the FAA until September 3, 2020.

At the moment, the reason is unknown, but this article will be updated when more information becomes available. The runway is 3,505 meters in length, the equivalent of 11,500 feet or over two miles. Every day, airlines such as Avianca, British Airways, United, and Lufthansa utilize this runway for daily operations. The closure means more traffic for Dulles's other main International runway, 19C/1C.

Here is the NOTAM released by the FAA:

Washington Dulles International Airport is the main airport serving the Greater D.C. Metropolitan Area. Opened in 1962, its main terminal was developed by Eero Saarinen, a Finnish-American architect. The airport spans 20 square miles (over 13,000 acres) and two counties in Virginia, making IAD one of the largest airports in the country.