The mission to revamp Tysons Corner depends fully on the four Metro stops planned as part of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, which nearly collapsed earlier this year to be suddenly revived in April.
Despite the lengthy period of uncertainty, the initial 11.6-mile leg of the project now looks on track for construction. Utility relocation along the rail’s path on Route 7 has already begun, with formal construction on the track scheduled to begin in March, with a completion set for July 2013.
In Tysons, the rail passes from the east on Route 123 and curves northwest along Route 7, with two stations situated along each road.
The Federal Transit Administration, which earlier this year signaled it would withhold a critical $900 million of the rail’s funding, reversed course in April after a series of cost-cutting revisions and intense pressure from state and federal officials.
The agency last month authorized construction to move forward, another positive sign for the project.
The rail almost certainly won’t run under Tysons in a tunnel, as many had hoped.
Officials have shown no sign of revisiting the underground route since Gov. Tim Kaine abandoned the concept in 2006, citing cost problems. Advocates insist the tunnel would be cheaper than the planned aerial route.
