A $15.5 billion overhaul of Dulles International Airport, the gateway at the western end of the Dulles Toll Road used daily by Reston commuters and tech-corridor workers, cleared its final board hurdle Wednesday, Aug. 19.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board voted unanimously to approve the capital budget amendment at a special meeting, bringing the total authorized construction budget for five Dulles building packages to roughly $19.9 billion. MWAA had previously authorized about $4.4 billion for work already underway.

The vote was unanimous.

"We look forward to the construction," MWAA president and CEO Jack Potter said at the meeting, according to The Daily Record. "We look forward to continued growth at Dulles Airport, and we think we have a very bright future."

The largest single package, estimated at $6.2 billion, would renovate and expand the main terminal and Concourse A/B, extending the Saarinen-designed terminal 300 feet in each direction. MWAA expects to award that contract in the fourth quarter of 2026, with construction beginning in late 2027, according to the authority's meeting materials.

A $3.75 billion package would extend the AeroTrain people-mover system west to planned Concourses G/H and build a central tunnel for passengers and baggage. Keith Autry, MWAA's vice president of engineering, told the board that tunnel work is not expected to be finished until 2034, according to The Points Guy. That means Dulles's aging mobile lounges cannot be retired until the mid-2030s.

Other packages include $4 billion for Concourses E/F (the first phase of Concourse E is already under construction and due for substantial completion in September 2026), $3.7 billion for Concourses G/H with initial work starting in 2028, and $2.26 billion to demolish Concourses C/D beginning around 2031 and eventually build a 33-gate replacement.

How it's funded

MWAA estimates the new spending would be covered by approximately $14.2 billion in municipal bond issuance, $150 million in grants and about $1.1 billion in passenger facility charges. At a July 29 White House event announcing the broader $22 billion plan, Potter said the redesign would not require federal funds but would be funded by airlines using Dulles.

The project required sign-off from Dulles's long-term signatory airlines under the airport's use agreement. MWAA said that airline approval took effect July 2.

What it means for Reston

Dulles handled a record 29 million passengers in 2025, up 6.4%, making it the fastest-growing large U.S. airport by traffic that year, Reuters reported. Roughly 5 million square feet of new or renovated space is planned across the program.

No source has yet detailed how construction traffic or road closures might affect Toll Road access during the build-out. Some terminal expansion elements still require Federal Aviation Administration environmental approval before work can begin, and MWAA has cautioned that the construction schedule remains preliminary.

MWAA was also due to receive the first responses Wednesday from firms interested in the terminal and Concourse A/B contract, valued at up to $6.5 billion. A formal contract award is expected before year's end.