The Washington region’s snow drought has come to an end, but at Northern Virginia’s two commercial airports, the arrival of several rapid-fire winter-weather events is causing some learning-by-doing for staff who haven’t handled snow before.
“Good thing we practice,” Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority CEO Jack Potter said at the authority’s Jan. 17 board meeting. He noted that about 100 members of the “snow teams” at Ronald Reagan Washington National and Washington Dulles International airports have come to their posts since the last active winter season of three years ago.
So far, they have performed up to expectations, Potter said.
“We kept our runways clear” and the terminals open, he said, although many flights in recent weeks were delayed or canceled owing to challenges in other parts of the country.
When travelers find themselves stuck camping out at local airports during lengthy waits, staff hand out blankets and pillows to make them comfortable, and some of the restaurant concessions stay open extra hours so they have access to food and beverages, Potter said.
He also noted that airport police keep watch over luggage areas, especially when luggage that didn’t arrive at the same time as its owners has to be corralled and stored for eventual reunions with them.
Repaving at Airport to Pick Back Up in Spring: Repaving efforts for the runways at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will kick back up in April, with the two-year project expected to conclude by November.
That’s according to an updated schedule provided Jan. 17 to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s board of directors.
The 2023 work included placing 8 inches of new asphalt on the airport’s main runway (designated 1-19) and a secondary runway (15-33), as well as the intersection of 1-19 with the airport’s third runway (4-22). When the project recommences in 2024, another 2 inches will be added.
The foundation, dating back to the airport’s opening in 1941, remains in good shape, authority officials said.
The repaving project in 2023 required the airport to close to passenger traffic at midnight to accommodate the work. Any flights that were running late and could not make the curfew had to be canceled at their departure point or diverted to another local airport.
That same restriction could be in effect for much of the project in 2024.
Keeping runways in good repair is vital, as residents of the 50th state learned this month.
Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport on the “Big Island” of Hawaii had to be shut down owing to cracks found on the main runway.
The closure “ended up leading to the cancellation of a number of flights and diverting aircraft headed to Kona, affecting thousands of passengers,” noted the Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspaper.
“A project to reconstruct the entire 11,000-foot runway had been scheduled for this year, but cracks developed and the degradation of the runway pavement accelerated due to recent rains,” the newspaper reported, quoting a state official.
More Bathroom Space Coming at Reagan National: It’s news that no doubt will leave future travelers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport flush with excitement.
An upcoming construction project will add three new restrooms, increasing both the number of toilet fixtures and overall restroom space at Terminal 3, the largest of the airport’s terminals with nearly 50 gates.
That was good news to members of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s board of directors, who on Jan. 17 were briefed on the project, as well as on terms of a pre-solicitation bid process for firms wishing to provide custodial services.
William Sudow, a Virginia representative on the body, said he of late has become aware of untidy bathroom facilities (in this instance, at Washington Dulles International Airport).
“We need to be very, very careful – [to] maintain the standards we all expect,” he said.
Walter Tejada, another Virginia representative to the body, noted that the increasing passenger count at Reagan National would result in more use of restroom facilities.
About 24 million passengers travel through Reagan National in a typical year, and “that’s a lot of water,” Tejada said, inquiring what steps were in place to ease the environmental impact, particularly in times of drought.
Staff replied that the airport’s plumbing shop has the ability to adjust the pressure of fixtures.
The discussion also wandered into topics such as the toxicity level of cleaning products being used at the airport. (“Never let it be said that this board is not interested in the details,” said Kate Hanley, another Virginia representative on the MWAA board.)
Custodial service at Reagan National runs 24 hours a day and spans 1.6 million square feet of interior space. Under the pre-solicitation documents for the future custodial services, staff has estimated a two-year base period of $25.2 million that can be extended for three additional years in one-year increments.
New Student Artwork on Display at Dulles: A new collection of artwork from students in Fairfax County’s public schools is now on display at Washington Dulles International Airport.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, McLean Project for the Arts and Fairfax County Public Schools celebrated the continuation of the “Youth Art Walk” initiative during festivities on Jan. 23.
Since last March, student artwork has been on display at the ticketing area at Dulles, across from the TSA Precheck security checkpoint.
“The Airports Authority’s goal is to work with area schools to select artwork from local students to display at Dulles and Reagan National airports,” officials with the airports authority said.
Plans call for changing out artwork at the Youth Art Work approximately every year, Airports Authority officials told the GazetteLeader.
