Politics & Government

McDonnell to MWAA: Reverse Tunnel Decision

Governor 'surprised and disappointed' by board's choice for more expensive option

Gov. Bob McDonnell urged the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to reconsider its plan for a tunnel alignment for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project in a letter Monday.

McDonnell's statement comes after a joint letter last week from Fairfax County, Loudoun County and Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton urging a reversal.

McDonnell (R) said he is "surprised and disappointed" in MWAA's decision to go with a more expensive plan for the project.

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"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 logisitical or aesthetic benefit," McDonnell wrote. "Taxpayers in Northern Virginia will bear the burden of this significant cost difference, which will make it difficult to achieve the Commonwealth's goal of reaching a total project cost close to the original $2.5 billion."

Sharon Bulova, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, hosted a walking tour with journalists last week to advocate for the less expensive option of building the station in the parking garage across from the main terminal.

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In an opinion piece in the Washington Post on April 17, Mame Reiley said the decision was made based on what was best for commuters and what would be most cost-efficient. Reiley is the chair of the Dulles Corridor Committee of the MWAA Board of Directors.

She said a different design plan from the one proposed in 2005 has been developed and will save about $330 million over the original plan. The savings was achieved by "reducing the added cost of the underground station by about half. We achieved these savings by revising the tunnel length and depth, using a different construction method for excavation, providing air conditioning from an existing airport facility and deciding to put the required electrical substation above ground," she wrote.


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