Airport 'Beltway' Will Reduce Incursion Risks, May Also Save Time

Officials at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport can't do very much to improve travel times between their airport and others... but when passengers arrive on the ground at DFW, they may find things are happening a little faster than before.

Last week, DFW unveiled its first "perimeter" taxiway, which loops around the southeastern end of DFW's massive airfield (for DFW aficionados, this is why the original Founders Plaza was displaced -- Ed.)

The taxiway -- first of several planned for DFW, if early trials meet expectations -- is intended to function much like a beltway road does around a congested city. Planes will need to travel farther, but they'll do so more quickly.

At least, that's the hope. The Dallas Morning News reports the airport's infamous taxi times -- as long as 20 minutes at times -- may be cut in half through the use of the perimeter taxiway, as airliners taxiing to the gate won't need to stop repeatedly to cross intersecting runways. Besides the anticipated time savings, the perimeter system will also cut the risk of runway incursions.

"This first perimeter taxiway at DFW will go a long way in solving one of our biggest passenger complaints -- departing the gate or landing at DFW, then waiting to cross a runway," said airport spokesman Ken Capps. "This makes it a straight shot, and we passengers will definitely see the difference."

DFW now ranks fourth among large domestic airports for longest taxi times, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. If early response is encouraging, DFW plans to create a continuous perimeter taxiway around DFW's entire 18,000 acres, and seven runways.

American Airlines, which calls DFW home and is by far the airfield's largest tenant, offered mixed enthusiasm for that plan. "If it helps decrease incursions, we're pleased with it," said American spokesman Tim Wagner, before adding the airline estimates its overall taxi times may actually increase slightly, due to the added distances.

DFW has been a testbed for a number of initiatives suggested by the FAA to eliminate runway incursions. Before the perimeter taxiway opened, DFW installed the Runway Status Light system, which uses a series of red lights embedded in the pavement at the hold short line to warn pilots if it is unsafe to cross over or enter a runway. Similar systems have since been installed at San Diego International, and Los Angeles International.

The FAA has encouraged more perimeter taxiway projects, noting similar programs have paid off at Boston's Logan International Airport and Atlanta-Hartsfield.

DFW officials note the addition of perimeter taxiways should not only reduce ground congestion, but it's also far cheaper and quicker than the traditional solution -- building more runways. The first set of perimeter runways will cost about $68 million, most of which was funded by the FAA. It will cost another $250 million to complete the system.

That's not cheap... but compared with the $1 billion it would cost to build an eighth runway at DFW, it is a bargain.

FMI: www.dfwairport.com, www.faa.gov