Fairfax County would be on the hook for a $136 million Metro station should the Dulles Rail project proceed as proposed by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
The station, to be located near the intersection of Route 28 and the Dulles Toll Road, would be the last stop in the county before Dulles International Airport.
LaHood’s proposal to shift the expense of the station out of the overall cost of the project – now shouldered by Loudoun, Fairfax, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and toll road users – and hoist it onto Fairfax alone is one of seven adjustments designed to reduce overall cost of the $3.6 billion by about $1 billion.
“The name of the game is to reduce the costs,” said Fairfax Chairman Sharon Bulova. “All of us need to participate in closing the gap.”
Fairfax’s potential $136 million burden would be eased substantially with a special loan from the federal government, Bulova said. The loan would allow both for a low interest rate and an extended payback time. Without the loan, she said it’s unclear if the cost would be manageable for the county.
Fairfax would also look to partnering with developers to share the cost of the station’s construction.
Fairfax is not alone in being asked by LaHood to make sacrifices to bring down the cost of the project. A detailed list of the proposed cost savings is below:
- Construct an aboveground Metro station at Dulles International Airport, instead of the underground station preferred by the airports authority: $562 million
- Reduce size of the rail yard and train repair shop facilities: $81 million
- Transfer financial responsibility of five Metro parking garages to Fairfax and Loudoun: $235 million
- Transfer financial responsibility of the Route 28 station to Fairfax: $136 million
- Scale back superficial station amenities: $44 million
