Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has joined the fray over whether to build the Dulles Metro station above ground or in a tunnel. And to the certain dismay of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, he’s sided with just about everyone but them, opting for an above ground station.
“The tunnel alignment has, by all accounts, been shown to be the much more expensive alignment through the airport, costing hundreds of millions more than the aerial alignment with relatively minimal positive logistical or aesthetic benefit,” McDonnell wrote in a letter to the authority Monday.
Specifically, the underground option would cost about $330 million more than building the station above ground. MWAA’s board has defended their decision, saying they’re doing what’s best for travelers and to protect the view of the Dulles terminal, designed by world-renown architect Eero Saarinen.
Local officials have noted — not without clenched teeth — that while MWAA gets to decide where the station goes, it is not responsible for the vast majority of the costs associated with the second phase of the Dulles Rail project. Those costs – well in excess of the originally hoped-for $2.5 billion – will fall mainly to Fairfax County, Loudoun County, and Dulles Toll Road users.
For now, McDonnell seems content to put pressure on MWAA with the hope that the board will change its mind.
“I … [am] very surprised and disappointed in the MWAA board’s very costly decision and hope that upon further reflection, the board would come to the more fiscally sound decision to pursue the aerial alignment,” he said.
