Dulles International Airport will receive $49.6 million to help fund a new regional airline concourse, among 85 airports receiving part of a nearly $1 billion grant stemming from last year’s infrastructure bill approved by Congress.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced the airports that are receiving funding Thursday. The share Dulles is receiving is the fourth-largest allocation, behind $60 million for Denver International Airport as well as $50 million each for Boston’s Logan Airport and Orlando International Airport.
The funding puts Dulles one step closer to construction of a new Concourse A, which serves United Airlines’ regional flights. Concourse A was built in 1999 as a temporary structure. Its replacement, which could open by 2026, will include an airline lounge, concessions, restrooms, offices and aircraft service areas.
The current 14-gate airline foyer has ground level covered walkways to the planes. Its replacement will have jet bridges.
The funding from the infrastructure bill covers a small portion of the project’s overall cost, an estimated $675 million.
In April, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board approved a plan to finance the project, the first of many steps to secure financing as well as design and construction.
MWAA is looking at other funding sources such as bond financing.
“This project will be the first step in upgrading aging facilities at the airport to enhance customer service and meet evolving infrastructure needs,” MWAA said in a statement.
The grants announced by the FAA Thursday are the first of a total of $5 billion for airport terminal projects included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was signed by President Joe Biden last November.