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BWI, Dulles Invest Billions to Ease Crowding, Congestion
The United States' two fastest growing airports, Washington Dulles International (IAD) and Baltimore/Washington International (BWI), unveiled aggressive, billion dollar-plus expansion plans this month. Both airports draw heavily from the same market - more than 40 percent of suburban Baltimore-based BWI's passengers come from the Washington, D.C. area, the primary source of passengers for Northern Virginia's Dulles. And both airports have been rapidly transformed in recent years from sleepy suburban outposts to bustling facilities with overflowing parking lots and crowded terminals.
Last week's announcement by the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) that it is investing $1.3 billion in a BWI expansion plan came on the heels of an August 2 announcement by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) that IAD will undergo a $3.4 billion facelift.
The Dulles expansion will include the construction of a new permanent 44-gate concourse, a new runway and an underground airport rail system. The BWI expansion plan includes the addition of 12,000 parking spaces, new concourses and pedestrian bridges, moving sidewalks, a wider road in front of the terminal, and a monorail connecting the airport, parking garages and the BWI Amtrak station.
"We are taking a comprehensive approach in shaping the future of Dulles," said MWAA Board Chairman David Ralston, Jr. "Aviation is the most dynamic transportation system in the world and brings immense benefits to our community. We have to keep pace with the service demands of the region, and the sooner we begin this next phase of improvements the sooner the greater Washington region can have the use of these new facilities."
Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening argued that BWI should...