New Dulles Control Tower

The original Airport Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) at Dulles opened along with the Airport in 1962. Since then, there has been tremendous growth in the number of flights and airline gates. As new runways are built, a taller, more centrally positioned tower provides views all around the Airport for the safe guidance of aircraft. The facilities inside the new tower were planned with present and future needs in mind.

The new tower is an adaptation of an FAA Standard and was designed so that it will not visually compete with Dulles' original ATCT, which is an integral element of the historically relevant design of Dulles' Main Terminal. For this reason, the original tower will not be removed or demolished.

After the structural elements of the tower were complete, the Federal Aviation Adminsitration (FAA) was reponsible for an extensive equipment fit-out process. The tower was dedicated in 2007. The ASDE-X radar system atop the tower was commissioned on April 1, 2008.

Statistics about the new Airport Traffic Control Tower

Location: About 1 mile south of the original tower
Structure: Cast-in-place concrete shaft, topped by an FAA Standard 850 square foot cab
Height: 300 feet to cab level, 325 feet at highest point
Base building: 16,500 square feet on two levels
Construction Details:

Contract Dates: Awarded December 2003. Structural Shell Completed 2005. Operational 2007.
Contractors: Jacobs Facilities, Inc - Structural Shell Design. Smoot Construction - Structural Shell Construction.
Program Cost: $63.5 million