Agreement Reached on Funding for Dulles Rail

The Washington Post reported this weekend that federal, state and local officials had reached a deal on how to fund the final, nearly $3 billion phase of the project to extend Metrorail to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County.

The deal, announced Friday, includes a $150 million commitment in state funds from Virginia and federal loan assistance through the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“This is a huge win for the Washington metropolitan region,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. “This project will create thousands of good paying jobs, bolster the economy, and relieve traffic congestion in northern Virginia.”

Read the full Washington Post article.

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Dulles Rail Update from Congressman Frank Wolf

From Congressman Frank Wolf's spring newsletter comes this update on Dulles Rail.

"Ensuring that the project to bring Metrorail to the Dulles corridor is completed on time and on budget is one of my top priorities. I believe that we should do everything possible to minimize the cost of the project and prevent cost overruns. That is why I am absolutely opposed to the recent decision by the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority (MWAA) to build an underground tunnel at the Dulles Airport station, a decision that would add at least an additional $300 million to construction costs. Each additional dollar spent on this project would be an extra burden on every user of the Dulles Toll Road and the Metro system, through higher tolls, taxes and fares.

"I am equally concerned about preventing cost overruns for this project. That is why I have asked the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct an ongoing audit of Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the project to ensure cost overruns do not occur. I have also asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office to conduct a comprehensive review of the operations of MWAA."

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Washington Airports Authority Control of Dulles Toll Road Looking Shaky

Here's a detailed article from "Toll Road News" about the recent decision by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) to pay a $325 million premium to underground a rail station rather than build it elevated. Nearly 60 percent or $3.7 billon of the cost of the $6 billion+ rail project is supposed to be supported with toll revenue bonds on the Dulles Toll Road.

"Virginia secretary of transportation Sean T. Connaughton has formally protested the expensive undergrounding in a letter to the Airports Authority board, saying that the state of Virginia will regard the undergrounding as an airport expense and not a commitment that is eligible for Dulles Toll Road support or any other support from Virginia. This undercuts the MWAA plan which has been to have tolls pay for a fixed proportion - 57 percent - of the project cost.

"MWAA board member Mary "Mame" Reiley said after the vote of the subway decision: "It is indeed more expensive, but we felt in the long run we were making a decision for the next 50 to 75 years," and that the elevated station involved "another trek at an airport that right now has too many treks."

"We need to beat BWI," Reiley added. "We had to pick the user-friendly station that would encourage more people to travel on the Metro and perhaps even increase our ridership in terms of choosing our airport over Baltimore’s as an international airport."

Toll Road News adds, "The more of a financial mess MWAA gets into the better it is for the treasury of the state of Maryland. Little wonder Maryland delegates to MWAA voted for an underground station at Dulles."

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Wolf Wants Audit of Dulles Rail Costs

WTOP Radio reported today that Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., is pushing for additional oversight on one of the region's largest transportation undertakings: the Dulles Rail Project.

Wolf, who has been a strong supporter of the project, is now asking the U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general to take a close look at the cost of both phases of construction. Wolf says he doesn't want the costs to get out of hand.

Read the complete WTOP Radio article.

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Washington Examiner Editorial: MWAA Quietly Jacks Up Cost of Dulles Rail

Did you read the recent Washington Examiner editorial about the Dulles Rail project? According to the paper:

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has appointed former Congressman Tom Davis to the board of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority just as newly revised estimates raise the total cost of the 23-mile Dulles Rail project to $6.85 billion -- up from $4 billion just four years ago.

A newly leaked 1998 memo that surfaced during the recent Massachusetts gubernatorial race indicated that state's former chief fiscal officer knew that the costs of Boston's infamous Big Dig project would skyrocket and crowd out other needed transportation projects. MWAA's 2010 financing plan for Dulles Rail contains a similar smoking gun.

Read the complete opinion piece online.

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Washington Examiner Says Dulles Rail Was Never About Getting Riders to the Airport on Time

Did you see the editorial yesterday in the Washington Examiner about the Dulles Toll Road? Local opinion editor Barbara Hollingsworth writes that, "It was never about getting the public to the airport on time."

"As its name implies, Dulles Rail was initially sold to the public as a high-priority transit project that would give area travelers convenient Metrorail access to Washington Dulles International Airport, the region's busiest airport. Indeed, this was repeatedly cited as the main reason for spending more than $5 billion to extend a transit system that was literally falling apart from neglect. The slight detour to Tysons Corner was downplayed as a secondary benefit. Now we find out that like almost every other aspect of the Dulles Rail project, this too was just another part of the scam."

Read the complete Washington Examiner editorial.

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Washington Airports Authority Delays Sale of $650 Million in Bonds for Dulles Rail Financing

According to Bloomberg Business Week, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has postponed a $650 million bond sale -- for the second time -- citing financial market volatility. The Authority says it will return to market when conditions have “normalized.”

According to the article, the authority’s offering to individual investors, scheduled for Monday, had been delayed to yesterday (Tuesday) because of market “uncertainty” about a financial rescue of highly indebted European nations including Greece, said Andrew Rountree, its acting chief financial officer, in an interview yesterday.

"The delay in the issue, which will help finance an extension of the U.S. capital’s passenger rail system to Washington Dulles International Airport, was announced in an e-mail from Rob Yingling, a spokesman for the authority. The postponement won’t have any adverse effect on the project, Yingling said."

The story noted that the authority will consider selling the bonds next week.

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Washington Airport Selling $650 Million for Dulles Transit Line

Bloomberg reported today that the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority plans to sell $650 million of revenue bonds this week to help finance an extension of the U.S. capital’s passenger rail system to Washington Dulles International Airport.

"The issue, backed by revenue from the Dulles Toll Road, a 14-mile (22.5 kilometer) highway to the airport, could begin selling as early as today, said Andrew Rountree, the authority’s acting chief financial officer. Its offering to individual investors, scheduled for yesterday, was delayed because of market “uncertainty” over a financial rescue of highly indebted European nations including Greece, he said.

"The Washington Airports Authority’s debt is part of $2.9 billion in bonds it’s selling to finance the 23.1-mile extension of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s rail system to Dulles. It sold $963 million in project bonds in August.

"The sale will include about $47 million in tax-exempt capital appreciation bonds, maturing in 2025 to 2031, and $158 million in convertible capital appreciations maturing from 2040 through 2045, with a conversion in 2019, Rountree said in a telephone interview."

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Another Important Hurdle is Cleared for Rail to Dulles

Fairfax County officials reported today that another important step was taken toward completing the long-awaited extension of Metrorail in the Dulles Corridor, serving not only Tysons Corner and Fairfax County, but also Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County and completing the transit link to the rest of the National Capital Region.

According to a county press release, this morning, Circuit Court Judge Stanley P. Klein ruled from the bench that the proposed plan to finance up to $400 million of the local share of the cost to construct Phase I of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project (the Project) through the issuance of EDA Bonds to be repaid with the proceeds of the special tax levied on commercial and industrial real estate in the Dulles Corridor Phase I Special Improvement Tax District (the District) is completely lawful and constitutional.

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Lawsuit Seeks to Stop Toll Road Hikes

A group led by a longtime Dulles rail opponent has filed another lawsuit to try and stop the rail extension, this time by going after its toll-based financing.

According to the Fairfax Times, "the Dulles Corridor Users Group, founded by Chris Walker, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on Aug. 6 asking the court to stop the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority from collecting tolls on the Dulles Toll Road. The Reston-based Parkridge 6 LLC is also a plaintiff.

"Named defendants include U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority President and CEO Jim Bennett, and Virginia Secretary of Transportation Pierce Homer.

"The airports authority fully took over management of the toll road and the rail project from the state last year in exchange for the right to collect future toll revenues and set toll rates. The authority is using toll revenue to back construction bonds for the second half of the rail construction.

"The 131-page complaint argues that the tolls are tantamount to a tax because they are being used to back construction bonds. The bonds are funding a portion of the first phase of the rail line, through Tysons Corner and out to Wiehle Avenue in Reston, and the bulk of the second phase to the airport.The airports authority does not have the authority to levy taxes under the Virginia Constitution, the complaint states, and should not be allowed to raise tolls."

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Airports Authority Set to Increase Fees on the Dulles Toll Road to Pay for Dulles Rail

Today's big news is about the Dulles Toll Road. According to lots of media reports, The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is proposing a toll increase along the Dulles Toll Road to help fund the Dulles rail project.

The Washington Business Journal quotes MWAA spokeswoman Tara Hamilton who said, “We are responsible for the rail going through the corridor as well as making improvements to the toll road, so the toll increase will back revenue bonds for the rail line. We're treating the corridor as one entity."

"The tolls will back revenue bonds the group plans to sell this summer. The MWAA will determine who can buy the bonds as well as the increments in which they will be sold by the end of August. According to the MWAA’s report at Tuesday’s meeting, the gross toll revenue collected on the Dulles Toll Road will need to increase from about $65 million in 2008 to $87 million in 2010 and $220 million by 2020 in order to cover the potential debt from bonds. It expects to issue $2.9 billion in bonds over the next five years."

The Business Journal notes that the Metrorail, which will stretch from West Falls Church to Route 772 in Loudoun County, is under construction and slated for completion by the end of 2016. The federal government has contributed $900 million to the project and Virginia has paid $275 million. Other partners are the MWAA, which will pay $215 million, Loudoun County, which will contribute $252 million, and Fairfax County, which will add $846 million to the pot. The remainder of the $5.2 billion needed to complete the line will come from debt secured by toll revenue.

The Washington Post's Loudoun Extra reports that the authority has planned a series of public hearings for this year, and its 13-member board of directors will vote on the matter in the fall. "But with so much of the rail project dependent on toll revenue, it is not a question of whether the tolls will increase but whether the changes will take place incrementally or all at once.

"Under the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority proposal, tolls would go up incrementally, starting in January. It costs 75 cents to drive through the main plaza and 50 cents to use one of the on- or offramps. The proposal, subject to approval by the authority's board of directors, would increase the main toll to $1.50 by 2012, and the ramp toll would rise to 75 cents.

"Under the proposal, tolls at the main plaza and the ramps would increase by 25 cents next year; only the main plaza toll would rise thereafter, by a quarter in 2011 and another quarter in 2012."

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Artwork Proposals Approved for Dulles Rail Extension

It seems that the final completion date for the rail extension to Dulles Airport keeps getting longer, but there was some action on the effort this week. The Metro Board of Directors approved artists’ proposals for public art projects at the first five Dulles Corridor stations.

Metro is managing and coordinating the public art component for the first phase of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail station project. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) is funding the art projects at the first five Dulles extension stations.

Metro’s Art in Transit Program worked with MWAA to conduct a competition for the public art proposals for the five stations. Community representatives, the Fairfax Arts Council, art and design professionals, and Metro, MWAA and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation selected the five artist proposals out of 167 submissions. The artists are Martin Donlin for Tysons East, Ray King for Tysons Central 123, David Dahlquist for Central 7, Barbara Grygutis for Tysons West and David Wilson for Wiehle Avenue.

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It Was a Busy Tuesday for Traffic/Transit

The day started badly for Loudoun County commuters today, but got better through the morning with news of $900 million commited to the Dulles Rail project.

At least one person had to be taken by helicopter to a hospital this morning after a single-car accident on the Dulles Greenway, just west of the exit for Ryan Road according to the Virginia State Police. The accident was reported about 5:35 a.m. according to state police spokeswoman Corrine Geller.

All lanes were reopened to traffic by 7:30 a.m. but the accident snarled traffic in the area and on the roadway heading east in the morning rush hour. As a result Route 28, as well as Waxpool Road and Farmwell Road were at an almost complete stand still.

The Washington Post's Dr. Gridlock reports the driver has been identified by Virginia State Police as Daniel F. Wiener, 63. His home address was not given. He was the sole occupant of the car and was flown to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where his injuries were not considered life-threatening.

And now the good news...

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today committed $900 million in U.S. Department of Transportation funds through 2016 to the $3.1 billion Wiehle Avenue Extension of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. Participating in the full funding grant agreement ceremony at transportation headquarters were Secretary LaHood, Governor Tim Kaine, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Chairman H.R. Crawford, members of the Virginia congressional delegation and other MWAA officials.

According to a WTOP Radio story, today's signing comes a little more than a year after cost concerns nearly killed the project. Virginia officials scrambled to bring the project in compliance and in January, then-U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters gave final federal approval. Federal funding was awarded after a mandatory 60-day congressional review.

Governor Kaine released a statement noting that one of his "top transportation priorities has been to see Dulles Rail become a reality. The signing of the $900 million Full Funding Grant Agreement for Phase 1 of the project is an accomplishment that has taken more than 10 years to achieve and I am proud to have this honor."

"I want to extend my sincere appreciation to all those involved in making this project a reality – Virginia's Congressional Delegation, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Dulles Transit Partners, and the transportation staff of the Commonwealth – all of whom have demonstrated commitment and support to this long overdue transportation choice in the Dulles Corridor," the Governor added.

Workers already have been moving utilities along Routes 7 and 123 in preparation for the line, according to the Washington Times. Construction on the project is expected to begin this month.

The Times adds that the "Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority approved the Dulles rail extension in 2002, but the project dates back to 1962 - the same year operations began at Dulles Airport and when a D.C. Transit study proposed a monorail in the nearby corridor that would end in Georgetown. After years of studies, debates and attempts to finalize funding, the project's initial milestone now appears imminent."

The Washington Post of course also had coverage, noting that "those who live, work or drive near the corridor also must focus on another reality: six years of debilitating construction that will further slow Northern Virginia's busiest thoroughfares. Although some light construction began months ago, the coming weeks and months will bring an entirely new level of din, dust and general havoc to McLean, Vienna, Tysons Corner and beyond."

When complete, this project will consist of five new stations, improvements to an existing rail yard, 64 new rail cars, and 2,300 parking spaces at the Wiehle Ave. station. The Metrorail project would expand capacity to and from Reston and the Tysons Corner regional activity centers, and provide a direct rail link for commuters from northwest Fairfax and Loudoun Counties to employment opportunities in Tysons Corner, the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, and downtown Washington.

The extension is projected to serve 85,700 daily riders by 2030, including an estimated 10,000 new daily transit riders.

According to the Washington Examiner, Dulles Rail’s first 11.6-mile phase is expected to cost $2.6 billion. That money comes from:

• Fairfax County special commercial tax district - $400 million (capped)
• Federal Transit Administration grants - $900 million (capped)
• Dulles Toll Road proceeds - about $1.3 billion (uncapped)

And the Washington Business Journal also reported on today's good news.

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Dulles Rail Update

According to an update today from the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, "Since January 2008, drivers through and to Tysons Corner have watched as crews worked to relocate more than 21 different utilities in preparation for the actual construction of the long-awaited 23-mile extension of Metro's Orange Line."

"The extension will eventually provide a one-seat ride from Dulles Airport to downtown Washington. In fact, the estimated trip time between Dulles and Capitol Hill is 55 minutes. Utility work will continue through 2009 and will overlap with general construction beginning next month along the Phase 1 alignment."

"Phase 1 will serve Tysons Corner with four stations and Reston with one station at Wiehle Avenue. Phase 2 will run from Wiehle Avenue to Route 772 in Ashburn, including six stops along the way including Dulles Airport. Phase 1 will be completed in 2013."

A Fairfax County Planning Commission public hearing on the stations was postponed because of ice on January 28. That session will now be held on February 18. A hearing before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is slated for February 23. The county planning staff is recommending approval of the applications for the five phase 1 stations.

To see the latest designs, visit www.dullesmetro.com/.

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Examiner Editorial Questions Stimulus and Dulles Rail Spending

According to an editorial in today's Washington Examiner, the Federal Transit Administration's approval of $900 million towards the $6 billion Dulles Rail Metrorail extension through Tyson’s Corner to the airport "will cost taxpayers an estimated $25 billion to build, operate and maintain over the next 40 years. But gridlock will still be a daily nightmare, according to official projections."

The editorial goes on to add that "Dulles Rail also includes an unprecedented level of local funding, as 95 percent will come out of the pockets of Fairfax and Loudoun County residents." Further, the Examiner notes that the "relative handful of wealthy Tysons Corner developers with land along the rail route will make billions following their modest $400 million contribution to construction costs."

What's your take on this editorial? Leave any comments below.

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Dulles Rail Gets Feds Approval

Good news for rail to Dulles Airport.

According to WTOP Radio, "A major hurdle has been cleared for the long-planned Metrorail expansion to Dulles International Airport. The Federal Transit Administration has approved the first phase of the $5.2 billion project, essentially reversing the agency's warning earlier this year that the project might be killed."

The Washington Times reports that the approval is a critical step toward obtaining the necessary $900 million in federal funding for the 23-mile extension, which will be built in two phases. The Times notes that the "proposal now heads to Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters, the Office of Management and Budget and Congress for final approval. Gordon Hickey, a spokesman for Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, said the governor was pleased with the FTA's decision but cautioned 'it's too early to celebrate.'"

Meanwhile The Washington Post quotes Dan Scandling, chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), "Rail is really coming to Dulles. After so many years and the fits and starts, this is going to be reality. It's going to happen. Which is great news for people who are stuck in traffic."

The 23-mile expansion, which will be called the Silver Line, would be built in two stages. The first phase will run from Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue. The second phase will stretch out to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County.

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Metrorail to Dulles

Stay current with the latest road work and construction for Dulles Rail. The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project has a traffic updates Web page that will keep you in the loop on traffic advisories involving the rail effort. In addition, check out their news page for the latest information about the project. The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project also produces a monthly newsletter.

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Dulles Rail Supporters Keep Up the Pressure

In case you missed this week's Connection newspaper article, supporters of the rail to Dulles project continue pressing forward with efforts for $900 million in federal funding for the rail project. According to the article, advocates "are calling on continued advocacy from area’s political and business leaders, to ensure the federal funds are granted."

The Connection reported that "the renogiated contract with Dulles Transit Partners schedules the construction of Phase I, to Wiehle Avenue in Reston, from March 2009 to July 2013 at the cost of $1.6 billion. The new contract, said James Bennett, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA, provides certainty for the schedule of the project’s construction, as well as its cost. Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust (D-Dranesville), an outspoken critic of the initial contract with Dulles Transit Partners, said he has not had a chance to review the renegotiated contract. However, he said, fundamental concerns exist, including the lack of bidding on the project and some open-ended issues, including costs for subcontracting."

"Under the renegotiated contract with Dulles Transit Partners, the construction of the rail extension is set to begin in March 2009. One of the factors that could delay start of the project’s construction is a lawsuit filed in January 2007 on behalf of Dulles Toll Road users challenging the commonwealth’s decision to hand the Toll Road to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA). Since the authority is not a government agency, the plaintiffs argue MWAA could not collect the toll money, an integral part of the state’s funding for the rail extension project. James Bennett, president and CEO of MWAA, said the case is scheduled to be argued at the Virginia Supreme Court in September or October. In the meantime, utility relocation continues on Route 7 in Tysons Corner and Bennett said it would soon move to Route 123. He anticipates crews would soon mobilize to begin preparation for tunneling work at the intersection of International Drive and Route 123."

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Editorial Says Disingenuous is Best Way to Describe Rail Opponents

According to a Sun Gazette editorial, “Disingenuous” is perhaps the best way to describe the latest tack among opponents of the Dulles Rail project.

The editorial notes that critics, "who have done all in their power to delay the project from moving forward, are now complaining that . . . the project has been delayed in moving forward. And add in the shocking revelation that, as time goes by, construction costs mount. Wow!"

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Another Setback for Dulles Rail

Citing officials with the project, WTOP Radio reported this afternoon that construction on the Dulles rail extension will be delayed for at least a year and that the cost of the project will increase by over $50 million.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority announced today that construction will not begin until March of 2009, at the earliest. The project was supposed to begin in February 2008.

A statement from the Airports Authority statement said:

"In preparation for submitting our Full Funding Grant Agreement application for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, it is necessary for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to update our previously executed design-build contract with Dulles Transit Partners. The Airports Authority Board of Directors has agreed to incorporate the requirements outlined by the Federal Transit Administration in May 2008 when it authorized the project to move into final design, as well as to update the contract schedule and cost to reflect delays that haveoccurred in starting construction."

"The contract amendment approved today sets March 2, 2009 as the date for construction to begin with an expected completion date of July 31, 2013, and renegotiates the contract price at $1.63 billion."

"The Airports Authority is committed to bringing rail to the Dulles Corridor, and is continuing to work with all of our partners to ensure the timely completion of this project."

The first phase of the project will take Metro out to Wiehle Avenue. The second phase of the project -- extending Metro to Loudoun County -- is still in the planning stages.

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