The head of the Federal Transit Administration on Tuesday said there is no certainty the federal government will provide the hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding anticipated for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project — even if the new tracks run above Tysons Corner.
FTA Administrator James Simpson, at a press conference rolling out the Bush administration’s $1.4 billion “New Starts” spending plan for major transit projects, asserted the $900 million federal share for the rail extension is not yet committed, despite contrasting media and state official reports. The possible loss of the money is at the center of the debate over whether the rail should run above or below Tysons Corner.
“The $900 million is part of a competitive process, it is not locked in,” Simpson said. “There is no guarantee that that $900 million will be there for either a tunnel or aerial (rail) unless it meets the requirements of the New Starts project.”
The statement, while not entirely new, casts further doubt the state will re-engage a plan to build a tunnel under Tysons Corner, part of the 23-mile, $4 billion Dulles rail project. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine abandoned the underground concept in September, following a warning from the FTA that the more expensive, more time consuming tunnel would seriously jeopardize the funds. Current plans call for an aerial rail.
Local business groups have renewed a push for the tunnel, arguing it would be more durable and less disruptive and support a more pedestrian friendly Tysons. State officials, however, show no sign of reversing course.
Simpson did not, however, say how much more a tunnel would imperil the $900 million over an elevated rail, telling reporters there is no way of knowing unless the Commonwealth moves forward with a tunnel and the FTA assesses it.
Project Director Sam Carnaggio, a former high ranking FTA official, said he’s not worried about losing the federal funds. Officials hope for a federal funding commitment late this year.
The Metrorail extension is now listed among six projects that the FTA might fund contingent on major approval hurdles and whether they meet cost-effectiveness standards.
