DFW Airport To Build Outer Taxiways

[question everything]

DFW Airport To Build Outer Taxiways

Officials Say Additions Will Improve Safety, Cut Delays
10/11/06

(AP) FORT WORTH Construction is about to begin on perimeter taxiways at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which officials say will improve safety while allowing more flights to take off and land during the busiest times of the day. The perimeter runways will be used only for taxiing. They will eliminate the need for planes on the ground to cross runways that are being used for takeoffs and landings.

A smaller version of the perimeter taxiway layout is under construction at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. A Federal Aviation Administration official said the DFW Airport design could become the model for other airports... The FAA is paying nearly $50 million of the $66.7 million cost of the first phase.

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The FAA believes the system could reduce near-collisions caused when planes taxiing to their takeoff spot must cross runways used by incoming flights. Last week at Los Angeles International Airport, the pilot of a SkyWest jet was forced to slam on the brakes during takeoff to avoid hitting a private jet that strayed into the runway. The two planes missed each other by 100 feet.

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The concept of perimeter taxiways was also driven by commercial concerns. DFW officials believe the extra runways -- also called end-around taxiways -- could shave two to 10 minutes or more off arrival and departure times by making it easier for planes to move between terminals and runways. If the extra taxiways improve traffic flow as expected, it could allow DFW to boost capacity by 30 percent, said Jim Crites, the airport's head of operations.

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http://cbs11tv.com/topstories/local_story_284080810.html

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. Absolutely hate going through DFW airport

Have had so many almost missed flights there because of the layout and transportation.

[Frank Cannon]

2. DFW is on my short list of the worst airports in the nation

Denver just beats it and St. Louis follows just behind.

Things have improved at DFW since they replaced that tram (which seemed to take you out into cow pastures miles away) with a "skyway" monorail, but I still never schedule a layover less than an hour there. I always need every minute of it.

[Ezlivin]

3. And how about that 121 bottleneck?

It's madness to try to drive 121 past the airport during rush hour. Now that the suburbs have been developed there is so much traffic pouring out of Southlake/Keller/Colleyville that the roads virtually sag.

My wife used to commute to Dallas and watched her time in transit go from 30 to 60 minutes.

And the solution always seems to be the construction of yet another road. This time they're talking about a toll road.

I sure wish they'd simply expand and enhance all of our mass transit.

[Frank Cannon]

4. Guess the DFW planners have never played SimCity

One of the first lessons you learn in playing the SimCity computer game (which is built on some pretty good city planning logic) is that building new roads doesn't do jack for your traffic problems. The more roads you build, the more cars that will use them.

Dallas/Fort Worth really does need to work on the mass transit. The light rail from Plano to downtown Dallas was a huge leap forward back in the 90s, but they need to do more, particularly around that ridiculous airport.