Well, this is interesting: Former Virginia Congressman Tom Davis (R), one of only two Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board members to vote against the controversial underground Metro station at Dulles International Airport, has been elected the board’s vice chairman.
The underground station would cost about $330 million more than an above-ground station, according to recent estimates. Officials in Fairfax and Loudoun counties, responsible for the bulk of the funding for the Dulles Rail project, are livid that the airports authority opted for the more expensive option, despite their pleas to the contrary.
Davis, a loyal Virginian, sided with his local officials. It remains to be seen whether his climb up the authority’s leadership ladder will have an impact on the Dulles decision, but those in favor of an above-ground station likely feel a little bit more hopeful than they did yesterday.
If Davis hopes to change the minds of his board members, however, he’ll face an uphill battle. Chairman Charles Snelling said that the decision has been made, and it will not be reconsidered.
