Federal transit officials have approved the alignment of the 23-mile Metrorail extension to Dulles, a major step in the multibillion-dollar project to build rail deep into northern Virginia.
The FTA approval of an amended “record of decision” also further cements official plans to build an elevated track through Tysons Corner, though advocates of tunneling underneath Tysons remain active despite the announcement.
The approval marks the crossing of another of the regulatory hurdles required before ground can be broken on the rail extension.
Project officials expect a cost proposal on the first phase of the construction by the end of the year from Dulles Transit Partners, a duo of firms vying to build the rail.
Under the current timeline, officials hope to begin construction by late 2007 or early 2008.
The project will be paid for by a combination of state, local and federal dollars, with $900 million expected from the U.S. government.
The possibility of losing that money due to strict federal cost guidelines led Gov. Tim Kaine to abandon the more expensive tunnel under Tysons and still appears to be a source of anxiety.
“This project cannot be built without federal funding and the risk of losing federal funding increases every day with escalation, changes in commodity prices, and increasing competition for scarce federal dollars,” Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation Director Matthew Tucker said in a news release on Monday.
“After 45 years of planning, the time to put a shovel in the ground is now.”
The news did not phase Scott Monett, chairman of the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce and the coordinator of a long-shot effort to resurrect the tunnel idea, which Kaine dropped in September.
The record of decision, he said, is “not a big deal to us.”
“That’s just part of the process,” Monett said.
“What we’re trying to do is ensure the tunnel option is given the same consideration.”
