Ongoing construction at Reagan National causing traffic delays

A photo of a traffic jam at Reagan National Airport
Traffic clogs the roadway at Reagan National Airport on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)
A photo of traffic near into Reagan National Airport
Construction at Reagan National Airport has caused traffic delays to reverberate down the George Washington Parkway, as seen in this photograph taken on Oct. 21, 2018. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)
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A photo of a traffic jam at Reagan National Airport
A photo of traffic near into Reagan National Airport
Traffic clogs the roads around Reagan National Airport on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

 

WASHINGTON — Construction at Reagan National Airport is causing traffic delays on Sunday, with work to expand the main terminal expected to last for several more years.

The space for passenger drop-offs at terminals B and C is compressed because of construction related to the new security checkpoints. On the upper ticketing level, a portion of the departures area near United and Delta is blocked. Traffic on the approaches that lead to the upper level from Terminal A and the loop around the garages is shifted to the right of the work zone.

There were also work zones with lane shifts on the lower arrivals level of Terminal B and C.

This week, long southbound traffic jams have formed at times on the George Washington Parkway south of Interstate 395, winding past Roach’s Run, wrapping around the departures loop.

The cell phone waiting lot is also closed. Drivers arriving early at the airport can wait for passengers in garages A, B and C for free for up to one hour.

More than 23.9 million passengers traveled through Reagan National Airport in 2017, up 1.4 percent from 2016 and the seventh consecutive year with a record passenger count.

The new security checkpoints and a new commuter terminal are scheduled to open in 2021.

Dave Dildine

A native to the Washington area, Dave Dildine is no stranger to the region's complex traffic and weather patterns. Dave joined WTOP in 2010 when the station launched its very own in-house traffic service. You can hear him "on the 8s and when it breaks" from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.

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