A plan to lay 23-miles of Metrorail through the heart of Northern Virginia lurched forward in 2006, showing marked progress but enduring delays and uncertainty that culminated with the death of the Tysons tunnel. The tunnel debate overwhelmed public discourse on the rail extension for much of the year. Burrowing under what many consider to be Fairfax County’s downtown was almost entirely preferred tothe vaulting, obtrusive aerial rail, which would cut directly through Tysons.

But the tunnel was also deemed more expensive by at least $250,000, and would have taken a year longer to build. Federal transit officials reportedly warned Gov. Tim Kaine that the tunnel would jeopardize $900 million in federal funding due to strict cost-benefit standards.