Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
Contact: Merni Fitzgerald, Director of Public Affairs
703-324-3187, TTY 711, Fax 703-324-2010
Media Pager: 703-324-NEWS (6397)
publicaffairs@fairfaxcounty.gov
Jan. 28, 2008
Fairfax County Sends Letter on Dulles Rail Project to FTA
In a letter to Federal
Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator James S. Simpson, the
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors exhorted the United States Department
of Transportation (USDOT) and the FTA to take a detailed appraisal of
Governor Timothy M. Kaine’s response to indications that the FTA was
likely to declare the Rail to Dulles Project unfit for federal funding.
“We trust,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly in the
letter on behalf of the board, “that you will reach the same conclusion
as we have – that the expansion of the Metrorail system to Dulles merits,
and needs, the funding support of the federal government.”
Connolly called the Dulles Rail Corridor, “the economic engine of
Northern Virginia. Facilitating the movement of residents, customers and
employees throughout that area would only further help the entire region
prosper. The Metrorail extension to Dulles is a critical step for
providing multi-modal and comprehensive transit options to the residents
of Fairfax County and Northern Virginia.”
The letter cited recent polling data showing that more than nine in 10
adults living in Northern Virginia favor an extension of Metrorail to
Dulles International Airport. The proposed Metro Silver Line would
alleviate traffic congestion in an area recently cited as having the
second worst traffic in the nation. In turn, this would result in
significant environmental and quality-of-life improvements.
An extension of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation
Authority Metrorail System into the Dulles corridor has been contemplated
for more than four decades. During the last 10 years, major exploratory
and design work has been completed. Submission for funding through the
FTA’s New Starts program was among the final steps toward moving rail to
Dulles from the drawing boards to reality.
“This project has been the county’s highest transportation priority
since 1999,” pointed out Connolly. “Funding to assist this project will
bring innumerable benefits to the entire region and moves us forward
after years of progress.”
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