Breakfast links: Dulles Airport starting new concourse construction this fall
Rendering of new Dulles concourse by Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
Dulles Airport likely to start construction on new concourse within next month
The concourse, which was approved last year, will take on some international flights, in addition to the planned commuter and regional flights when completed. It will be four times the size of the Concourse A it’s replacing and connect to the underground Aerotrain system. Flights at the airport are surpaassing pre-pandemic levels. (This article is behind a paywall). (Alan Kline / Business Journal)
Virginia’s newest state park opens in Loudoun County
The Sweet Run State Park, which had been in operation under private ownership since 2004, became a state park this year after Loudoun County and the private family foundation operating it signed over operations and some extra adjacent land along with the primary acreage to the state of Virginia. Near Harper’s Ferry, the park has 11 miles of trails, many around the old farmhouses on the land, that are available for hiking and horseback riding. (Margaret Barthel / DCist)
More (but not all) workers are in downtown DC this fall
One company estimates that its non-federal offices are operating at approximately 62% of pre-pandemic in-the-office levels, a higher rate than at any time since March 2020. However, federal buildings are averaging closer to 33% return-to-the-office, despite the supposed push for federal workers to return. WMATA is similarly reporting up to 65% of pre-pandemic levels of ridership on certain weekdays. (Jeff Clabaugh / WTOP)
Maryland announces public meetings for American Legion Bridge and I-270 plans
Maryland Department of Transportation is hosting open houses to hear from the public about priorities for the corridors, including multi-modal and quality-of-life concerns. The open houses, which are all accessible by public transit, are scheduled on November 13 in Bethesda, November 15 in Gaithersburg, and November 16 in Frederick. (Joshua Barlow / Maryland Matters)
Alexandria officials propose reconfiguring Duke Street near Carlyle to improve pedestrian safety
The City of Alexandria announced a proposal on Monday to convert a left turn lane into a pedestrian refuge at the intersection of Duke Street and Dulany Street, near the Caryle neighborhood and King Street Metro station. City staff found that the left turn lane was underutilized and have already been under criticism for adding an additional turn lane on the other side of the neighborhood at Mill Street and Eisenhower Avenue near its Metro station. (Vernon Miles / ALXNow)
Ward 3 Councilmember hopes to secure former Intelsat site to serve as neighborhood educational center
DC Councilmember Matt Frumin is pushing for the District to purchase the former Intelsat headquarters at 4000 Connecticut Avenue to create a multigenerational civic center and educational campus. Some educational partners have already expressed interest. The site had partially been the home of the Whittle School until July of 2022; the City Administrator indicated that public acquisition discussions are best addressed during FY2025 budgeting. (This article is behind a paywall) (Tristan Navera / Business Journal)
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