President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy are expected to announce plans Wednesday for a $22.5 billion overhaul of Dulles International Airport. The project will be partially funded by taxpayers, with costs divided between the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and the airlines that operate out of Dulles, according to the White House.
The project will include four new concourses, move the parking lot closer to the main terminal and will scrap the mobile lounges, known as “people movers,” which transport passengers from the terminal to outlying concourses.
The renovations are expected to add an extended underground aerotrain, which would carry travelers to the concourses, along with adding moving sidewalks inside the terminal and concourses.
A people carrier or shuttle at Dulles Airport near Washington.
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Since beginning his second term, Trump has undertaken a number of projects around Washington, like the ballroom being constructed at the White House and a planned renovation of the Kennedy Center, which he briefly added his name to before a court ordered it removed.
The multiyear project would change the landscape of most of the airport, but the iconic main terminal building would keep its historic appearance.
The airport’s biggest airline, United, currently operates most of its flights out of an outdated and cramped terminal that was built in 1985 as a temporary facility. It was rehabbed in 2006 in order to extend its life. United has been working behind the scenes on the design and details of the project.
The airport has been criticized for being an antiquated facility compared to the country’s other major airports.
A big point of scrutiny for Dulles has been the “people movers.” The unique vehicles have been in use since the 1960s. Last November, eight people were injured after one struck a dock while pulling up to a concourse.
A people carrier or shuttle at Dulles Airport near Washington.
Adobe Stock
Last December, Trump called Dulles “a terrible airport” and said his administration planned to “rebuild” it.
“We’re also going to rebuild Dulles Airport, because it’s not a good airport. It should be a great airport, but it’s not a good airport at all, it’s a terrible airport,” Trump said.
“We have a design that’s amazing for Dulles,” he said.
Dulles Airport near Washington, DC.
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In early design concepts released by the airport authority, one plan called for the main terminal to be named the Donald J. Trump Terminal. It is unclear if that will be part of the final plans.
In December, the Department of Transportation submitted a request for information (RIF) asking the public for proposals and public-private partnership plans to revitalize Dulles. More than 30 proposals and comments were submitted in response to the DOT’s request.
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