Fairfax County Supervisor
John Foust (Dranesville District) is a superb member of the Board, and once again he proves why that is the case with this statement on the Metro to Dulles
no-bid boondoggle project.
With the signing of the Full Funding Grant Agreement, I believe the elevated rail is probably inevitable. I am extremely disappointed that there will be no tunnel because Tysons will not achieve its full potential if the rail is elevated. Although this is a huge set back, we can't give up on trying to make Tysons a vibrant urban center. Even though elevating the rail is a mistake that I know we will regret, I think transit oriented development in Tysons can still achieve some of the transportation, housing and environmental goals of "smart growth". I intend to do what I can to make sure we maximize the benefits of having Metro rail run through Tysons and to the airport.
I also believe we will pay a heavy price because of the lack of competive bidding and the construction contract that was agreed to by the Airport Authoity. Here again, the key is to recognize the mistakes that were made and to do everything we can to control costs going forward. I intend to monitor the project very closely and do what I can to protect county tax payers and Dulles Toll Road users. Unfortunately, given the contract that was signed and the fact that the Airport Authority will be managing construction, this will be a challenge. I also intend to do everything I can to ensure that the Phase 2 portion of the project is competitively bid and that the contract for construction of that work protects the public.
It's extremely unfortunate that this multi-billion-dollar transportation project was rammed through the wrong way (no-bid deal to Bechtel, inferior "aerial option" in Tysons) instead of being done the right way (competitive bidding, tunnel in Tysons to allow for optimal "smart growth"). Unfortunately, we're all going to be living with the consequences for many years to come.
