Legislation Keeps D.C. Airport Work On Track
<FONT SIZE="+3"><B>Legislation Keeps D.C. Airport Work On Track </B>
By Barbara Cook
<I>Washington </I>- One of the last bills approved by the now-adjourned 104th Congress will ensure that the renovation of National Airport, and expansion and upgrade of Dulles International Airport, will continue uninterrupted.
The Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 1996, which was signed by President Clinton on Oct. 10, included a number of miscellaneous provisions that impact the two Washington airports.
The major provision of the bill struck down a nine-member federal panel appointed by Congress that had final veto power over decisions regarding the two facilities, which were transferred from federal control to a regional operating authority in 1987. The Supreme Court more than a year ago ruled that such a federal review panel with veto power was unconstitutional.
The upshot of the court ruling was to hamper the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority's (MWAA) ability to sell more than $200 million in bonds to keep the $1.5 billion renovation program on schedule.
MWAA has been operating under a series of temporary budgets. According to a spokeman for the authority, there had been no significant delays in construction at the two airports because of the legal snafu; however, some contracts had been held up.
Although the provision eliminated the congressional review panel, two members of Congress-one Democrat and one Republican-will be added to the existing 11-member MWAA board. The current board is made up of persons appointed by the governors of Virginia and Maryland, the mayor of the District of Columbia and the President. Some members of Congress have insisted that the federal government-through congressional representation-must continue to have a hand in decisions affecting the two airports since the facilities were initially built with federal government financing.
The rehab program at National, which for years has suffered from an overcrowded terminal and inadequate parking, includes a new state-of-the-art terminal, convenient covered parking, high-tech air traffic control facilities and new shops and restaurants. The modernization will be largely complete in the spring of 1997. Meanwhile, 15,000 new parking spaces opened this month.
The renovation at National is not described as a capacity expansion because the airport operates under slot restrictions and is already at its ceiling limit.
Separately, more than $500 million is being spent to expand and rehabilitate Dulles, which is now more than 30 years old and has annual traffic growth of more than 5 percent. Chief among the improvements is a doubling in size of the main terminal to accommodate a ground transportation center for bus, hotel shuttle, taxi and rental car services, and a new midfield terminal. A renovation of the food service concessions already has been completed at Dulles.
The west wing extension of the main terminal opened in September and the east wing extension opened two months earlier. The two extensions of the famous wing-shaped terminal now bring the building to more than 1,200 feet long. Next in store for the main terminal will be a renovation of the original section.
The west wing addition is providing international travelers with more room, as well as more space for "meeters and greeters."
At the international arrivals area, the airport has installed video screens that not only will notify persons that a flight has landed, but also will alert them to when the arriving passengers begin to clear customs. Other improvements in the new west wing include more baggage carousels, and a computerized system for sorting checked baggage to be sent to waiting airplanes.
This month, the Customs Service will open a satellite facility in the existing midfield terminal so that international passengers transferring to other flights won't have to be shuttled to the main terminal to clear Customs, then be sent back to the midfield facility.
Another provision in the just-signed FAA bill guarantees that members of Congress and the Supreme Court will continue to receive free, reserved parking near the terminal at National. This long-standing perk has been highly criticized but seems certain to remain in effect.