IF HOLIDAY AIR TRAVEL is a jagged memory in your not-too-distant past, you might be surprised to know that while the D.C. area's airports are surely busy, they're not among the most bustling in the nation. In fact, our air hubs didn't even crack the top 10 in 2006.
Here's a look at local airport passenger traffic by the numbers, according to statistics from the Federal Aviation Administration:
» 14: The ranking Dulles International Airport racked up in a national comparison, making it the busiest airport in the region. According to the FAA, it saw 424,127 arrivals and departures in 2006, down from the 553,021 operations that went on there in 2005, when it ranked 9th nationally.
» 307,669: The number of arrivals and departures at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in 2006, which earned it the 33rd position in national busyness rankings. In 2005, it sat at 36th with 309,801 trips.
» 41: The ranking Reagan National Airport has sustained for the past two years' worth of data. In 2006, the airport saw 278,471 arrivals and departures, slightly up from 2005, when there were 278,134.
» "Top 50 Busiest U.S. Airports for 2006" [FAA]
» "FAA Ranks Busiest Airports" [AP via WRC]
WE'VE TOLD YOU ABOUT the new skyscraper that's set to become a part of Rosslyn's growing skyline next year. Now, courtesy of The Post and Interface Multimedia, we can show you what it's expected to look like: 30 stories of glass facade with a distinctive pyramid on top.
The structure, scheduled to rise at 1812 N. Moore Street, originally would have been Rosslyn's tallest building. But developers cut its proposed 414-foot height to 370 feet to win approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, which reviews the impact buildings in Rosslyn could have on aircraft taking off and landing at Reagan National Airport.
Continue Reading "Pyramid-Capped Tower to Rise in Rosslyn" »
LOOKING TO EAT A HEALTHY MEAL before your flight out of Reagan National Airport? You might have to scrounge around a bit: A study of food offerings at the nation's busiest airports by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine ranked National dead last in healthiness, The Post's Sally Squires reports.
According to the study, just 42 percent of restaurants at the airport offer at least one low-fat, high-fiber, cholesterol-free vegetarian meal, Squires writes.
The low rating doesn't mean it's just grease and sweets at National's eateries, though. Among the healthier choices the group found, according to Squires: "Matsutake Sushi's vegetable combination roll, veggie chili at Cosi and a portobello melt at TGI Friday's, although the organization recommended skipping the cheese on that sandwich."
» "Most Airports Serve Up Healthful Meal Options" [WaPo]
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
Metro Boosts Service for Thanksgiving Travel
Map It:
Greenbelt L'Enfant Plaza National Airport Rosslyn
HEADED TO A LOCAL AIRPORT in the coming days for dreaded Thanksgiving travel? At least one portion of your journey might not be as difficult as you think it'll be.
Metro has announced it will be increasing its transit offerings in anticipation of larger holiday crowds before and after Thanksgiving.
That means more Blue and Yellow Line trains serving the Reagan National Airport station on Sunday. Also, there'll be increased service on Wednesday and Sunday on two express Metrobus routes: the Dulles Airport/5A route from the Rosslyn and L'Enfant Plaza stations and the BWI/B30 route from the Greenbelt station. On Thursday, Metrorail and Metrobus will run on a Sunday schedule.
» "Metro to Operate Extra Trains and Buses During Thanksgiving Week in Anticipation of Travel to Local Airports" [WMATA]
» EARLIER: "Thanksgiving Air Travel Crunch in Full Swing" [Free Ride/Express]
AFTER ANOTHER SERIES of smoky eruptions shut down another batch of Metrorail stations during Monday's evening rush, Metro officials are considering the possibility that the incidents could have been caused intentionally.
"This is not normal," Metro General Manager John Catoe said, according to The Post's Lena H. Sun and Martin Weil. "This is highly, highly irregular."
Report Sun and Weil:
Asked whether he thought the incidents might be intentional, [Catoe] said: "Could it be something else [other than an accident]? Everything now is suspicious."Monday's delays began at around 7 p.m. after several trains lost power between the Pentagon City and Braddock Road stations on the Blue and Yellow lines, according to a Metro press statement. A track fire was reported at the Pentagon City station. A fire was also reported at the U Street-Cardozo station, which shut down both that station and the stop at Columbia Heights from 7:20 p.m. to 8:40 p.m., the statement said.A spokesman for the D.C. fire department said that the department was "very concerned" about the large number of incidents in a brief period and that the department would try to assist Metro in determining whether they were more than accidental.
Shuttle buses ferried passengers between L'Enfant Plaza and Huntington and also between the Georgia Avenue-Petworth and Shaw-Howard University stations.
Continue Reading "Smoke, Fire Cause Another Messy Metro Commute" »
THE ARLINGTON COUNTY BOARD has a message for lawmakers on Capitol Hill: Don't add any new flight slots at Reagan National Airport.
In a unanimous vote last night, the board adopted a resolution "calling on Congress not to change the number of flight slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport," and also "called on federal officials not to tinker with the existing perimeter rules, which limit the number of long-haul flights into National," the Sun Gazette's Scott McCaffery reported.
In May, two senators, Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Gordon Smith, R-Ore., amended a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill to allow 20 additional flights a day at National. As The Post's Eric M. Weiss reported at the time, Rep. Jim Moran, Arlington's man on Capitol Hill, said of Cantwell and Smith:
[They] want the convenience of going to National Airport rather than trucking out to Dulles. ... But that's just my speculation. I'm sure it's just a coincidence. But this would not be the first time a senator passed national policy based on their personal convenience.The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates National and Dulles, also opposes increasing flights in and out of National.
The FAA reauthorization bill, which will fund U.S. aviation operations from 2008 to 2011, is making its way through Capitol Hill, clearing the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee before the July 4 recess. But there is still much legislative wrangling on the issue expected among the House, the Senate and the White House.
» "County Board: No Changes at Reagan National, Please" [Sun Gazette]
» "Senators Push to Add Flights at National" [WaPo]
» "House Committee Passes FAA Bill, Legislative Battles Ahead" [ATW Daily News]
Photo by Susan Biddle/The Washington Post
IF YOU PLAN on traveling on the Orange, Blue, Yellow or Green lines this weekend, be prepared for delays due to scheduled track maintenance and rail car testing. But if you're heading out for Sunday's 12th Annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival in Arlington, you've hit the transit jackpot: Metro will be providing free rides.
Those attending the festival will not be charged for fares on routes 16B, 16G and 16J, between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. The bus routes runs along Columbia Pike and connect to either the Pentagon or Pentagon City Metrorail stations.
Riders heading through Prince George's County on the Orange Line can expect 20 minute delays between the Cheverly and New Carrollton stations due to track maintenance. Trains between those stations will share a track from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Alternating Orange Line trains will terminate at the Cheverly station and return to the District and Virginia.
Continue Reading "Weekend Track Work, Free Bus Ride for Blues Fest" »
A PROPOSED PAIR of high-rise buildings in Rosslyn has hit a snag that wasn't totally unexpected.
The Federal Aviation Administration has ruled that a 31-story tower set to rise at Wilson Boulevard and N. Lynn Street could threaten air safety for planes flying in and out of Ronald Reagan National Airport. However, that ruling may not necessarily foil the county's attempts to increase its residential tax base, The Post's Kirstin Downey reports.
Kathleen Webb, principal of developer JBG Cos., thinks the FAA can be swayed, telling Downey:
We think they'll approve it as it is. It's an issue to be resolved, but I think it will be resolved in a fashion that will let us proceed.Also in the mix for Arlington County, but facing FAA scrutiny: A six-story retail and residential park on Columbia Pike, and additional stories for an existing mid-rise in Crystal City.
» "Proposed Arlington High-Rises Imperil Reagan National Aircraft, FAA Rules" [WaPo]
» "Will Arlington's New High Rises Help or Hurt the Area?" [Poll Center/Express]
Photo by Gerald Martineau/The Washington Post
TRAVELING ON the Blue, Yellow and Green lines this weekend, you might encounter delays because of regularly scheduled track maintenance and rail car testing.
For those traveling to, from or through Alexandria, expect 20 minute delays on the Blue/Yellow lines between Braddock Road and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport stations due to track maintenance. That work starts at 7 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday and wraps up at 7 p.m.
Also on the Blue Line, between the Stadium-Armory and Addison Road-Seat Pleasant stations expect 15 minute delays due to track maintenance. That work starts at 10 p.m. and ends at 10 a.m. Saturday, and covers the same times overnight Saturday into Sunday morning.
» "Weekend Track Maintenance and Rail Car Testing to Affect Metro's Blue, Yellow and Green Lines" [WMATA]
Significant Weekend Delays for Blue, Yellow Lines
Map It: Braddock Road Eisenhower Avenue Franconia-Springfield
Huntington
King Street
National Airport Van Dorn Street
IF YOU PLAN to travel to/from/through Alexandria this weekend, be aware that trackwork on the Blue/Yellow line tracks near Braddock Road will likely cause significant delays starting Friday night in the 10 o'clock hour.
Blue and Yellow Line trains going between the District and Virginia will terminate at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station. South of the airport, the Blue and Yellow lines will be operating in two separate segments:
» Every 30 minutes, a Blue Line train will operate between the airport and Franconia-Springfield via King Street.
» A Yellow Line shuttle train will operate between King Street and Huntington.
The work is scheduled to wrap up before opening on Monday.
» "Weekend Braddock Road Work to Cause Blue and Yellow Line Delays" [WMATA]
Addison Road