RestonWeb

[Bob Bruhns]

It's time to face reality on Dulles Rail. We are playing with $300 million out of over six billion dollars, but Loudoun County is in a position to take a new look at the whole mess.

Loudoun County should bail out of Dulles Rail
Washington Examiner Editorial, 04/27/11 8:05 PM
Article

[Terry]

Bob--

I fully understand your opposition to Dulles rail and, if we didn't have nearly a half a loaf, I'd be there with you arguing against it.

But, thinking about this from a Restonian (me) or Herndonian (you) perspective, NOT completing the project now would be worse than paying the extra billion dollars. Some reasons why:

1. From Reston's perspective, massive (really gargantuan) congestion at the Wiehle-267 exit as people tried to park in the area to take Metro from there (Phase I).

2. From both communities' perspectives, the HUGE diversion of traffic to our local streets as population in the Metro corridor increases by 50% in the next 40 years (conservatively). There is no way Virginia or local counties are going to build enough roads or buy & operate enough buses to meet that demand--most of which would be paid through by our property taxes. And who knows what MWAA would do with the Dulles Toll Road (DTR)--other than raise tolls.

3. Of course, there are tremendous air pollution and climate warming implications of literally hundreds of thousands of more vehicles on our road--most just sitting there for the one in front of them to move.

4. The loss of economic growth for Reston and Herndon. While there may not be much impact in Loudoun (and I'm skeptical of the recent RE report--hardly a disinterested party), why would anyone want to build a new commercial or residential building along the Dulles corridor in our two communities? Some might like that. Even I am opposed to too much development. But the bottom line is that it would irreparably harm
the economies and quality of life in both communities.

The answer, I believe, lies in completing the Dulles Metro in a cost-effective manner. Part of that is having those who benefit bear the cost--specifically MWAA, which would contribute about $257 million to the total of the line's construction, yet garner a one billion dollar station and rail link at the airport. Moreover, their plan (along with the counties and state) is to put 56% of the total cost and 76% of the extra billion in Phase 2 costs revealed by MWAA squarely on the shoulders of DTR users in huge toll increases. We need to put the cost where they belong: on MWAA's shoulders.

I would recommend that you and your readers take a look at the latest RCA Reston 2020 Committee report on Metrorail's costs, their implications, and some alternative financing strategies. It's not an easy read (24 pages of economics & finance), but it is filled with facts and analysis, not merely more opinion. Check it out:

http://reston2020.blogspot.com/2011/05/impacts-of-increased-phase-2-dulles.html
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Terry Maynard

[stix]

Reston 2020 is correct.. not completing Phase 2 should be unthinkable for both Fairfax and Loudoun counties, and for the entire region. Other funding sources need to be identified while respecting the original burden on Dulles Toll Road users and businesses immediately along the route. A new toll structure for the airport access road and the MWAA funding sources as suggested by Reston 2020 are but two.

A Metro airport exit fee is another. And at this stage one should not rule out an additional funding commitment from the state of Virginia and the Federal government. A case can be made that a half completed Silver Line will not be in either authorities best interest.

As to Loudoun County withdrawing support.. they are to be reminded that if they do, it will be many decades before they get as good an opportunity as they now have with Phase 2 to have rail service, and have a way to keep downwad pressure on Greenway tolls. The RE report needs to be expanded with a 75 year timeframe, and service to 1/3 of the counties population firmly in mind...
.

[Terry]

Stix--

The Loudoun RE report is truly suspect.

Why? Because Loudoun had anticipated (maybe even planned) to have the commercial real estate owners along the Metro line largely pay for its development through a special tax district. This is the way it's being handled in Fairfax County.

So, if you don't want more taxes, write a report that shows Metro won't generate any significant economic benefit. Then, really whine if the county tries to make you pay one.

Truly disingenuous--but so very typical.
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Terry Maynard

[Bob Bruhns]

How is MWAA supposed to pay for anything? Their assets are the toll road taxes and maybe bus fares in the Dulles Corridor, whatever they can cajole from the state and counties, and whatever scraps of federal money might be available for interstate transportation.

So how is "making MWAA pay for this" any kind of solution? Except maybe that it would say "NO! STOP!" Because they can't pay for anything. And whatever they might have, came out of our pockets. So saying "Make MWAA pay for this" really means "Make US pay for this!" One word: ridiculous.

MWAA was created to be the straw man bad guy when people realized what a mess this Dulles Rail nonsense really is. It was conjured up and handed unconstitutional taxing power, without the representation of any election. And it was populated with appointees who clearly have no clue what they are doing.

It may be too late for Phase I, but Phase II can still be reorganized. I can only hope that our leaders snap out of the contrived focus on the small issue of above or below ground rail at the airport, and start looking at the ridiculously horrible design that exists in both plans. The track meanders all over the airport, so OF COURSE an underground would be prohibitively expensive. But an above ground meandering choo choo train line, with its station a quarter mile away from the air terminal, isn't a good use of resource either. A simple dead-end spur by tunnel could slip in from Rt 28, go right under the air terminal, and probably cost less than their "lower cost" above ground plan.

MWAA has demonstrated its total, abject incompetence. When are we going to take its undeserved power away from it? But our leaders are still looking the other way and conveniently using MWAA as a punching bag, at our enormous expense. MWAA says "Well, either go with our Stupid Plan #1, or our Stupid Plan #2, take your pick!" and our 'leaders' say "Oh, well gee, we will take your Stupid Plan #2 without even thinking about, or commenting on its stupidity, because we are such great and wonderful leaders, who are looking out so much for our region." You know, I think these leaders need to go, too.
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Government debt and deficits are robbing your children, your grandchildren, and your great-grandchildren. http://www.usdebtclock.org/

[Terry]

Bob--MWAA can and does charge its airline passengers a boarding fee. I'm not sure what fees its freight airlines pay.

And, as Reston 2020 suggests, why not charge tolls to users of the Dulles access highway once Metrorail is in place. There is no reason go give this "HOT" lane a free pass.

Still, you're right, MWAA needs to reorganize how it manages Phase 2. Indeed, I'm not sure they competently of handling it, but I can't think of any entity that might do it better. I'm really open to ideas here.
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Terry Maynard

[Bob Bruhns]

Oh great, choke air business at Dulles (and Reagan, I think) with heavy fees, and make hundred dollar tolls on the Toll Road. I wonder if the Metro fees could be made... maybe twenty times what they are now. Yeah, that will work.

Suggestions. How about rethinking the rail route at Dulles? How about the idea of the short dead-end spur instead of the meandering plan they have now?
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Government debt and deficits are robbing your children, your grandchildren, and your great-grandchildren. http://www.usdebtclock.org/

[demosthenes]

Forget Loudon altogether and run it down 28 from the Airport. Then along 66 to connect to the existing metro at Vienna.
Call it the Dulles Loop with stations at the recently created overpasses, Udvar Haazy, Rt 50, NRO, etc
Create a light rail or bus rapid transit system along the Greenway with a connection at the Dulles station.
This would effectively double the number of trains that could serve the airport, resulting in shorter wait times. That could be a factor in getting people to use the Metro.
It would also likely increase patronage of the Udvar Haazy center.
As much as I like having part of the Smithsonian close by, the lack of public transportation to it is a bit crippling for tourists.
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"mean-spirited" may be an innacurate way to describe people who want the rules and regulations we agreed to followed. - Breed

[Bob Bruhns]

Aren't the Dulles Airport, and Rt 28 next to it, in Loudoun County? The Fairfax-Loudoun county line runs basically along Rock Hill Road, about a mile east of the airport.

Bus transit to the Udvar Hazy Center and to the Dulles Airport would have been just fine. But no. A powerful lobby said that we needed a choo choo train. And now we have to pay for the choo choo train, but we don't like that. And no wonder, with the whole design aligned to make the cost head toward infinity. Now we can't even afford busses either.

It's time to face facts, folks. We have been had. Loudoun County was going along with it just fine, until the economy collapsed. They are the lucky ones. Another transit ripoff is the last thing they need, too, with the Greenway debacle that they already have. Fairfax County needs to start thinking. Hard.

Maybe the principle of Eminent Domain could save us even now. Bad agreements? Forget them. The needs of our region are greater.
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Government debt and deficits are robbing your children, your grandchildren, and your great-grandchildren. http://www.usdebtclock.org/

[stix]

Proposing a drastic change to the Dulles Metro alignment, and perpetual chicken little moaning will not solve the Phase 2 cost issues, or get Dulles corridor the transportation improvements it desperately needs. Hopefully less hysterical heads somewhere are quietly working to solve the current funding issues, without the need for any increased burden on toll road users.

Failure to complete Dulles Metro, that has been in detailed planning for well over a decade would not be in the best interests of this regions residents or businesses. I doubt that failure would even make today’s hyperventilating critics happy in the long run...
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[Grace Wolf]

This article was a bit alarmist (okay, its from the Examiner) but you get the idea "Dulles Tolls to Rise to Pay for Rail Construction."

http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/dc/2011/05/dulles-tolls-rise-pay-rail-construction

[Bob Bruhns]

Well, the estimates for the toll increases vary from about six to ten times what we are paying now - and our rates have been rising for years for this boondoggle. I suspect the rates will go even higher than the high estimate today, because this thing is a pack of lies.

Why was Fairfax County running around threatening to eliminate stations on this boondoggle if we did not immediately capitulate and agree to tax districts for Phase II? Such a hurry, and threats too. If this farce isn't the subject of a criminal investigation already... it certainly should be.
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Government debt and deficits are robbing your children, your grandchildren, and your great-grandchildren. http://www.usdebtclock.org/

[jeremy]

[Bob Bruhns]

Sure, a few billion dollars, mostly waste - that's just chickenfeed, right?

You know, that kind of thinking is the reason why at least one future generation will still be paying for this bloated boondoggle.

Nobody will look at the meandering route that the line takes at the Dulles airport, either. I find that... interesting.
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Government debt and deficits are robbing your children, your grandchildren, and your great-grandchildren. http://www.usdebtclock.org/

[stix]