Supervisors Endorse Above-Ground Rail At Dulles

Tuesday, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors endorsed a proposal 8-1 to scrap the tunnel planned at Dulles International Airport as part of the extension of Metro's Silver Line through the airport and on to Ashburn.

Soaring cost estimates have pushed planners at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the quasi-governmental entity charged with constructing the project, to recommend cutting the tunnel for an estimated savings of $640 million.

The proposed change requires an additional two miles of rail construction, approval from the Federal Transit Administration and, depending on details of the changes, a possible new environmental impact study, or EIS. Tom Farley, a project representative, told supervisors that planners at MWAA were hopeful for minimal environmental requirements.

"The question is whether they'll have to go back through an environmental impact study or just an environmental assessment," he said, describing the assessment as a much simpler analysis than an EIS. While expressing optimism, he also pointed out that the proposed adjustment would mark a significant change. "This terminal change is a big change, bigger than [changes] at any of the other stations."

The significance of the change sparked Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) to cry foul and seek public input on the change, criticizing a recent public input session scheduled by project planners in Sterling and asking for a copy of the comments made because he has not seen them.

"This is a multibillion dollar project and we haven't even heard from the public," he said, accusing the board of endorsing a sweeping change with little input, thought or notice.

Supervisor Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge) fought back.

"The question for us is whether the value of having Metro come to Loudoun County is worth all of this," Burton said. "We have to decide, the nine of us, whether we support the idea. Personally, I do."

Potomac District Supervisor Andrea McGimsey (D) had questions about whether the changes would impact certain types of commuters who are less mobile than average commuters. However, she endorsed the change and spoke of the importance of rail.

"Metro's going to be so vital to the Ashburn area," she said.

The $640 million cost reduction would narrow the gap between the initial $2 billion estimate for phase two and the $3.83 billion estimate presented by project engineers on Sept.  15; however, a $1.19 billion difference would remain. The project would extend from the current phase one terminus at Wiehle Avenue in Reston to Ashburn. In total, the project has jumped from initial estimates of $3.5 billion to $6.6 billion.

While the federal government, a local tax district on businesses and tolls along the Dulles Toll Road provide the funding for phase one, the federal government has not committed money to phase two.

At present, an additional tax district on businesses and tolls are anticipated sources of revenue for phase two; however, after the recent cost jump, supervisors in Loudoun have called on the federal government to pay a share to help cover the increase. Federal authorities indicated resistance to additional funding for the project in the past and previously required planners to divide the project into two phases to win federal approval.

Loudoun's share for the project under current cost estimates would amount to between $287 million and $316 million, the difference being whether the tunnel option is chosen. Even without the tunnel, Loudoun's share jumps by $35 million under the new estimate.