President Trump unveiled plans for a major overhaul of Dulles International Airport, with a total investment of $22 billion. The project includes the construction of new terminals and the elimination of the airport’s outdated people mover shuttles. He criticized the current airport, saying that people from both political parties would agree it is a poor facility.
The president emphasized that the project will not rely on federal funding. Instead, the cost will be covered through bonding and contributions from airlines involved in the project.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the effort has received broad support across party lines. The renovations will add more than five million square feet of new space to the airport complex. The current C and D concourses will be replaced with modern facilities.
A new parking structure will provide space for about 32,000 vehicles. The iconic main terminal designed by Eero Saarinen will remain part of the new layout.
A new horseshoe-shaped train system will replace the old people mover. Secretary Duffy said that many people across the political spectrum have expressed frustration with how Dulles currently operates. He added that this project is about building for the future and serving the needs of all Americans.
Trump has railed against Dulles for months. He visited the airport grounds in early November to assess its condition firsthand.
During a Cabinet meeting in December, he mentioned that he was considering a full redesign of the airport. He said at the time that Dulles needed to be rebuilt because it was not functioning properly. Trump described the airport as a terrible facility that was poorly designed despite its impressive architecture.
The airport is named after former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. It is one of three major airports serving the Washington, D.C. region. The others are Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Reagan Washington National Airport.
Dulles is located about twenty-five miles from the nation’s capital.
IMAGE: Donald Trump speaking at CPAC in Washington D.C. on February 10, 2011.. Photo: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia, taken 2011-02-10, CC BY-SA 3.0