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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