Reagan Runway on the Move

WTOP is reporting that the main runway at DCA will be moved 300 feet south and made longer in order to keep planes from ending up in the drink and to comply with current FAA rules. That sounds simple enough, especially since they have until 2015 to complete the job. Yep, 7 years to move a runway 300 feet south. Clark Construction could build two or three stadiums in that amount of time.

I’m always amazed when I watch planes land at Gravelly Point. First, the runway and approach is damn short (not quite San Diego short) and on a windy day those planes are coming in like a Roger Clemens sinker. Second, the planes fly unbelievably close to the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Pentagon. Not that George Bush has me afraid of terrorists, but one quick jostle of the yoke could spell trouble.

Anyway, expect the construction to be blamed while you’re sitting on the tarmac for an hour, trying not to smell the person next to you.

Hailing from the Mile High City, Max has also lived in Tinsel Town, the Emerald City, as well as the City of Brotherly Love. Now a District resident, he likes to write about cool photos by local photographers, the DC restaurant and bar scene, or anything else that pops into his mind.

4 thoughts on “Reagan Runway on the Move”

  3. You’d better write WTOP as well. They seem to have made the same mistake.

    PS – To this day, I don’t understand why people get their panties in a bunch when the airport is referred to as Reagan.

  4. Airport runways are tough. There is a LOT of concrete below that surface. Building one below the water line might take seven years. We will have to see.