The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority unveiled its first Parking Garage atWashington Dulles International Airport today in a dedication ceremony that included Virginia Congressman Frank Wolf, Fairfax County Chairman Katherine Hanley, Loudoun County Chairman Scott York, Airports Authority Chairman Norman Glasgow and Airports Authority President/CEO James A. Wilding.

Said Mr. Wilding, "This is a day we've all been looking forward to, when our customers can have convenient daily parking in a garage near the Terminal. And it's just the beginning for improved parking services. We will open a second garage later this summer."

The five-story $45 million garage was designed by URS Corporation and built by Turner Construction Company, and will provide airport customers with 3,700 daily parking spaces. A second five-story garage will provide an additional 4,700 spaces later this summer. Both garages were constructed of poured-in-place, post-tensioned concrete, and have a precast concrete exterior. Both Garages are located within walking distance of the Dulles Terminal

The garage, which opens on March 18th, has a pedestrian bridge on the 3rd level, which connects directly to the Ticketing/Departures Level of the Terminal. Customers can also walk to the Baggage Claim Level from the ground floor of the garage. smartecarte machines will be located on each level of the garage for customer convenience. The Airport will also provide free, dedicated shuttle bus service between the Terminal and the garage for those drivers who prefer to ride.

The garage is equipped with an automated space counting system, which indicates how many open spaces are available on each level of the garage. The signs, which provide this information, are located at the top of the ramps at each level of the garage.

This new garage is one of the first projects completed as a part of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority's $3.4 billion Dulles Development program, known as d2.

The opening of the Garage will bring the total number of parking spaces available at Washington Dulles to over 20,000. The various types of parking include:

Rates for each type of parking follow:

For information about parking availability, customers may visit the Airports Authority website at www.mwaa.com or call (703) 572-4500 for a tape recording with general parking information. To speak with a parking representative, customers may call (703) 572-4580. The following forms of payment are accepted at all parking facilities at the Airport: cash, check, American Express, Diners, Discover Card, MasterCard, and Visa.