The state of Virginia stands by the project to extend Metrorail to Washington Dulles International Airport, despite Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli saying that it should be killed and calling it an “economic boondoggle” the state doesn’t need. “It’s just not worth it,” Cuccinelli said in a recent appearance on WMAL radio. “It’s a rip-off.”
Cuccinelli went far beyond what Gov. Bob McDonnell and other state and local officials have been saying about the beleaguered multibillion-dollar project that would extend Metro from Fairfax County through the airport to Ashburn. McDonnell and others have criticized the ballooning costs of the rail line, but continue to support it on the grounds that it will eventually be an economic boon for the state.
“We are continuing to work with our partners to refine the scope, reduce the cost, and arrive at a satisfactory financing plan that does not become a burden to taxpayers and toll road users,” said Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton.
State and local officials have been particularly critical of a decision by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is overseeing the rail project, to build an underground Metro station at Dulles that would cost $330 million more than the aboveground station those officials favor.
Loudoun County is examining whether it can withdraw its funding for the rail line. Cuccinelli believes the project will become an issue in county board elections this fall.
“I hope those folks elect an entire board who’s committed to pulling out of Phase 2 to kill it, because it is bad policy for Virginia,” he said.
The cost of the project’s second phase, including the Dulles station, has risen from the original $2.5 billion to $3.8 billion. Under the current funding formula, the airports authority would pay 4 percent of that cost, Fairfax would pay 16 percent, and Loudoun would pay 5 percent. Revenue from Dulles Toll Road users would cover 75 percent of the cost.
Cuccinelli also took issue with the airports authority’s decision to pursue a union-friendly labor agreement for Phase 2. Virginia is a right-to-work state, meaning that union membership is not required to secure a job. The contractor, Dulles Transit Partners, voluntarily adopted a similar labor agreement for the project’s first phase.
“I’m sort of hair-trigger loaded to deal with that if that problem pops its head up,” he said with regard to a potential conflict with state right-to-work laws.
