by WMATAGMOAGH
Good news to say the least:
Federal Agency Signals Support for Dulles Rail Funding
By Amy Gardner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 22, 2008; 1:37 PM
Federal officials have offered yet another signal that a $5.2 billion Metrorail extension to Dulles International Airport is on track to receive federal funding by the end of the year.
In a letter issued late Thursday, the Federal Transit Administration authorized project managers to begin major construction on the Orange Line extension, which would stretch 23 miles from the East Falls Church Station in Arlington, through Tysons Corner and past the airport into Loudoun County.
Some preliminary work, including relocation of utility lines, is already underway. Now, project officials may begin construction on the rail line itself, including a short tunnel through Tysons, where four stations are expected to spur an urban renewal of what is now a vast, suburban office park.
The FTA letter does not guarantee full funding of the project, which is counting on $900 million in federal funding and has endured years of uncertainty as federal transit officials have questioned rising costs. But state and project officials interpreted the letter as an encouraging development, a further signal that the project's near-demise earlier this year is behind them.
The project was also delayed for more than a year by a grassroots effort to force the new rail line underground through Tysons, in order to maximize the redevelopment potential there and minimize the line's unsightliness. That effort failed after Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) determined it would be too expensive and that pursuing it would jeopardize federal funding.
The larger tunnel is not to be confused with the smaller tunnel that project officials are preparing to dig. Plans call for an aerial alignment through most of Tysons, including the four stations. But the tracks must dip underground through an elevation rise where Route 123 and Route 7 meet in order to avoid too steep of a gain in elevation.
Federal Agency Signals Support for Dulles Rail Funding
By Amy Gardner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 22, 2008; 1:37 PM
Federal officials have offered yet another signal that a $5.2 billion Metrorail extension to Dulles International Airport is on track to receive federal funding by the end of the year.
In a letter issued late Thursday, the Federal Transit Administration authorized project managers to begin major construction on the Orange Line extension, which would stretch 23 miles from the East Falls Church Station in Arlington, through Tysons Corner and past the airport into Loudoun County.
Some preliminary work, including relocation of utility lines, is already underway. Now, project officials may begin construction on the rail line itself, including a short tunnel through Tysons, where four stations are expected to spur an urban renewal of what is now a vast, suburban office park.
The FTA letter does not guarantee full funding of the project, which is counting on $900 million in federal funding and has endured years of uncertainty as federal transit officials have questioned rising costs. But state and project officials interpreted the letter as an encouraging development, a further signal that the project's near-demise earlier this year is behind them.
The project was also delayed for more than a year by a grassroots effort to force the new rail line underground through Tysons, in order to maximize the redevelopment potential there and minimize the line's unsightliness. That effort failed after Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) determined it would be too expensive and that pursuing it would jeopardize federal funding.
The larger tunnel is not to be confused with the smaller tunnel that project officials are preparing to dig. Plans call for an aerial alignment through most of Tysons, including the four stations. But the tracks must dip underground through an elevation rise where Route 123 and Route 7 meet in order to avoid too steep of a gain in elevation.
