By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) – The board that oversees Washington Dulles airport will vote on Wednesday on a $19.9 billion overhaul plan that includes $3.75 billion to build new underground tunnels and replace slow vehicles that transport passengers across the tarmac.
The $6.2 billion reconstruction of the main terminal at the primary international airport serving the Washington region is set to begin in late 2027, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said in a summary of the tentative plan posted Monday. It said that building new tunnels would begin in early 2029, to get rid of the “People Mover” vehicles and extend to a new concourse.
Construction on one new planned concourse would not be completed until at least 2039. Of the total, $4.4 billion was previously approved.
President Donald Trump announced the $22 billion plan last month. The $19.9 billion proposal to be voted on does not include a massive new parking garage and transportation center.
The announcement is the latest in a series of major projects Trump has announced in and around the U.S. capital.
The plan includes 5 million square feet of new or renovated airport space.
The plan, one of the largest U.S. airport overhauls ever proposed, will be largely funded through municipal bonds. Some have questioned how it will affect the cost of flights. The airport authority had already approved a separate $7 billion capital plan for Dulles.
Dulles was the fastest-growing large U.S. airport last year by passenger traffic. The airport had a record year in 2025, handling 29 million total passengers, up 6.4%. This fall, it will get a new 435,000-square-foot (40,412-square-meter), 14-gate concourse serving United customers.
The Dulles project is the latest massive reconstruction project in the Washington area Trump is pushing for. Dulles is about 25 miles (40 km) from the U.S. capital and opened in 1962.
Finnish architect Eero Saarinen designed the airport’s terminal building, a distinctive structure with a sloping roof that sweeps up toward the sky on opposite sides.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Mark Porter and David Gregorio)
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