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According to the controller it "had been used for the day shift, a little bit...". I had checked the archives for the shift before, but couldn't find anything. Maybe I just missed it. Maybe they used a different frequency since the first three to depart, as seen on the photo, obviously had some special event. Those three may have been what the controller meant by "used a little bit...".
But I wonder - wouldn't there also be special check flights by the airport authority or FAA prior to opening a new runway officially - and allowing commercial airliners? Maybe not much you can check since only the surface was new and not the ILS etc. But anyway, in aviation there's always someone who has to check something - and someone else, of course, just to double-check...
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They did use it earlier in the day shift, for the three departures (jetblue, american, and then delta, in that order) for the opening of 31L. And trust me there was plentry of checking and double checking of everything.