Students' airport travel options could branch beyond the District following the Federal Transit Administration's approval to begin construction on the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.
While the FTA's Aug. 23 approval of the project does not guarantee full funding of the $5.5 billion project, it does signal the end of a major obstacle to its construction, MWAA spokesman Mark Treadaway told The Washington Post.
The informally named "silver line" will connect northern Fairfax County and southern Loudon County in Virginia to the rest of the Metrorail system. It would share tracks with the orange line in D.C. and Arlington County before branching off, which would run through Tysons Corner, Reston, Herndon and Dulles International Airport, according to the project's Web site.
Jean Adams, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she would use the line to fly out of Dulles again if she was able to reduce the time it takes to reach the airport.
"The last time I used Dulles, my flight was cancelled and I ended up catching the Washington Flyer shuttle, which added two extra hours onto my commute," she said.
Alexandra Grekas, a sophomore in CAS, said she would consider using the Metrorail expansion to reach retail destinations in Tysons Corner, but won't change airports.
"I'd go as far as Tyson's to shop but there's not much else I need it for; I'd still go to Reagan anyway," Grekas said.
The project is anticipated to bring a 22 percent increase capacity to the Metro system, Federal Transit administrator James Simpson said in the press release. Simpson did not comment as to the specific impact the extension will have on Dulles customer frequency.
Construction will occur in two phases. The first portion would run from the beginning of the new track between the East Falls Church and West Falls Church Metro stations through Tysons Corner and end at the planned Wiehle Avenue station. It will begin March 2009 and finish mid-2013, according to a press release released by the project.
The second phase would extend the line through Reston and Dulles Airport and would be completed by 2015, according to the project's Web site.
Though the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority runs the Metro system, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority will design and build the system's silver line. The FTA stalled the project earlier this year over concerns about interagency cooperation between MWAA, WMATA and private partners, Simpson said in the press release.
"They've been talking about the extension to the line since I was in high school," said Jacque Martin, a junior in the School of International Service who grew up in Fairfax, Va. "Both organizations have just been at odds between each other and the community about moving the line underground."
Grass-roots efforts to get a portion of the project built in an underground tunnel delayed the project for more than a year. One organization involved in that effort, Tysons Tunnel Inc., advocated using a tunnel for the portions of the line that would run through Tysons Corner. The organization believed such changes would reduce maintenance costs, lessen the environmental impact and have twice the life span of an elevated rail, according to the organization's Web site.
The FTA disagreed because they believed unnecessary tunneling would slow the project's progress and would increase the project's budget, according to Tunnel Inc.'s Web site.
The FTA hopes the line will decrease the urban sprawl and reduce vehicle traffic between the suburbs and the city, according to an agency press release.
The FTA's authorization comes after Simpson expressed initial reservations about the project because of the scale and cost of the extension, according to a press release the agency released Jan. 30.
WMATA officials referred The Eagle's queries to the MWAA. MWAA referred The Eagle to press releases and refused several requests for further comment.
You can reach this staff writer at mmccarty@theeagleonline.com.
