U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is turning to the private sector for ideas on how to rework Washington Dulles International Airport.
The federal government released a request for information late Tuesday, soliciting plans for the reconstruction of Dulles’ terminals and concourses. The document is aimed at “the best and brightest developers, architects, and engineers,” the Transportation Department said, with the end goal of assembling a public-private partnership to tackle the renovation work.
“Once known for its iconic aerofoil-inspired main terminal designed by Eero Saarinen, the airport is now better known for its inefficient system of people movers that deliver passengers as much as a half mile or more away from their gates, its infamous moon-rover-like ‘mobile lounges,’ jet fuel smell in the concourses, and a paltry number of gates at the main terminal,” the RFI states. “In short, Washington Dulles International Airport is no longer an airport suitable and grand enough for the capital of the United States of America.”
Respondents are asked to submit design and construction concepts, as well as potential financing plans.
The Transportation Department said it will answer questions about the request submitted up to 20 days after its publication.
The RFI came the same day President Donald Trump slammed the 62-year-old airport as “terrible” and outdated and vowed to improve it.
In a statement, Duffy credited Trump with reducing crime and homelessness in Washington and cleaning up Union Station. That same effort should now be extended to Dulles, the secretary argued.
“Tourists, world leaders, and CEOs from around the world should not be forced to travel through an inefficient airport when they visit D.C.,” Duffy said. “IAD needs a complete refresh to assume its proper role as the premier international gateway into the capital of the greatest country in the world. We’re engaging the private sector to explore how we can do this cost effectively and at the speed of Trump.”
Dulles has used bus-like mobile lounges to connect passengers to their flights since the airport’s opening in 1962. While once considered innovative, they are now seen as outdated, especially since the opening of the underground AeroTrain system in 2010. Still, the airport continues to rely on mobile lounges to transport international arrivals and connect some terminals.
The president’s nominee for the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA) board, Trent Morse, has vowed to phase out the vehicles.
Last month, an accident involving a mobile lounge at Concourse D injured 18 people. Duffy pointed to the incident Tuesday to argue that Dulles urgently needs to be redesigned.
