Gold is in, people movers are out: Inside Trump's flashy plan for Dulles Airport
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A rendering of the South Atrium. Image: Courtesy of United
Pointing across a 3D mockup in the Oval Office, President Trump unveiled his $22.5 billion overhaul of Dulles Airport on Wednesday, promising to turn what he called a "horribly thought of" gateway into "maybe the best."
Why it matters: The massive plan replaces aging concourses, adding millions of square feet of new capacity to serve more passengers and international destinations.
State of play: With Trumpian flair, he explained that concourses C and D ("basic disasters") will be replaced, while the jet age-era main terminal designed by architect Eero Saarinen will stay ("one of the great architects of the world").
- Gripping a laser pen, Trump described renderings of a new parking lot holding 32,000 cars — "that'll be a world record" — and claimed travelers would be a 15-yard walk from their vehicles to the terminal, through "glass tunnels."
Plus: New restaurants, shops and a massive United Polaris Lounge — "a beautiful level of luxury," said Trump, next to the airline's CEO.
- Concept images reflect Trump touches, like gold accents on coffered ceilings, modern chandeliers, marble-looking flooring.
- Funding specifics weren't disclosed, but United "will partake in part of the payment," said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Zoom in: United, which operates a major hub, said in its press release that new gates "will give travelers more spacious, comfortable seating areas, dedicated work areas and amenities in bright, expansive settings."
- The design promises a larger U.S. Customs zone, more efficient screening and baggage handling.
- A new underground train system will connect it all.
What they're saying: Trump said "between the trams and the Star Wars thing" — he means the people movers, which are going away — "nobody knows what's going on."
- "It's an impossible airport."
The big picture: Dulles is the latest target of Trump's campaign to remake Washington — from his proposed Arch, to the Reflecting Pool, to East Potomac, to the East Wing.
Catch up quick: The Transportation Department last year issued a call for bids to redesign Dulles, claiming the airport was in a "state of disrepair."
- It received 21 submissions from firms across the globe.
- And Trump allies have been pushing to nix the people movers for some time now.
What's ahead: "We're trying to move at the speed of President Trump," Duffy said, adding they hope to begin work on Concourse A next spring, though project specifics are TBD.
- Trump floated a two-year timeline, but United's official announcement called it a transformation spanning "several years."
