Tysons Corner Craziness

Read this editorial and see if your blood pressure rises or not. While you're reading, keep in mind that this if Frank Wolf's baby more than anyone's, and that Wolf has been a major obstacle to opening this up to competition and a tunnel in Tysons.

In an act of astonishing presumption, utility relocation has already begun on the Dulles Rail project...even though the project has not yet gotten final approval from the Federal Transit Administration.  The fact that the FTA is still scrutinizing the price tag of this misbegotten project doesn't seem to faze the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is now managing it.

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There are also early warning signs that this too-expensive Metrorail project will do more harm than good in Northern Virginia, literally killing Virginia's golden goose.

Instead of early birds flocking to Tysons Corner to take advantage of Dulles Rail's many supposed benefits, businesses have actually begun bailing out. More corporate tenants have left Tysons than leased office space there this year. This unexpected exodus is most likely being driven by the anticipation of five years or more of major construction chaos and tolls of up to $5 per trip to pay for it...

Nice, huh?  Where do we begin?  How about with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) managing the Metro to Dulles project?  If that's putting the proverbial foxes in charge of the proverbial chicken coop, I don't know what is.  Why is this the case?  Because MWAA has the strongest economic self-interest of anyone to have this project move forward, at everyone else's expense of course. 

To be blunt, MWAA could give a rat's you-know-what whether Metro to Dulles Airport results in chaos in Tysons Corner, or whether it prevents Tysons from ever developing into a transit-oriented model "edge city."  MWAA certainly doesn't care about whether the taxpayer gets completely fleeced by this no-bid contract to "Big Dig" Bechtel. Finally, MWAA totally doesn't care whether or not Metro gets through Tysons using the idiotic, abysmal "aerial option."  As long as Metro gets to Dulles Airport, that's all that matters to MWAA.  That's understandable from MWAA's selfish perspective, but it makes absolutely no sense for anyone who lives or works in Northern Virginia. 

Where are our "leaders" on this issue?  Either AWOL, or caving in to the brain-dead "If we don't do it now, we'll lose all our money waaaaaaahwaaaaaaah" argument.  And yes, I'm including members of both parties here.

The simple, takeaway messages here: 1) stop proceeding with this project before it is even approved (duh!!!); 2) don't approve the project at all unless the whole thing is opened up to competitive bidding; 3) don't build this 100+ year rail line at all unless it's done right (do it right or don't do it at all); and 4) stop scaring and misleading people with lies about how Congress can't do whatever the heck it wants here, so we just HAVE to take the money now or lose it forever.  Is that too much to ask from people who supposedly represent OUR interests in Richmond, Washington DC, etc? People like Frank Wolf?

Wolf Continues Lying About Tysons Tunnel

In the face of overwhelming public support in NOVA for Metro to Dulles WITH a tunnel in Tysons Corner, Frank Wolf continues his disinformation campaign with this gem:

"We should know certainly by the end of the year" whether FTA approves the release of the funds, said U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10). As far as any controversy on the design of the project is concerned — tunneling versus elevating the track through Tysons Corner — Wolf said the cost of underground rail would be astronomical. He is counting on the extension to help the traffic-clogged region. "It is the only bright hope for the region," said Wolf."

The cost of underground rail in Tysons would be "astronomical," huh Frank? So, you're just going to ignore the proposal by Dragados to build the Tysons Tunnel for a fixed price of $823 million, significantly lower than the escalating costs estimated for the "Big Dig" Bechtel-built "aerial option?" You're going to ignore the costs to businesses and others in Tysons Corner area of construction during building of the Big Dig above-ground track in Tysons? You're going to totally forget about the enormous long-term economic benefits to a tunnel -- to lower maintenance costs, FAR longer life span, higher ridership potential, smart growth in Tysons, etc., etc. -- of a tunnel vs. the aerial option? Do you care SO little about the taxpaying citizens of Northern Virginia that you would foist upon them a poorly managed project in a NO-BID CONTRACT with a company notorious for the Big Dig?!?

Frankly, Frank, this is unacceptable and this is exactly why you need to get a new job after decades in Congress. You have completely lost touch, if not "lost it" altogether, if you seriously think that the cost of underground rail in Tysons would be "astronomical."

Oh, by the way, what's this about rail to Dulles being the "only bright hope for the region?" There's nothing else good about Northern Virginia, is THAT what you're saying Frank? Or are you saying that it's either YOUR way or the HIGHWAY -- literally, in this case? Pathetic.

New Air Traffic Tower Opens at Dulles; How About Metro, Frank?

I'm glad to see that a new air traffic control tower has opened at Dulles Airport. The Fairfax County Times article quotes Frank Wolf as "reminisc[ing] about how Dulles was once considered to be 'way out' from the city, a laughingstock when it opened in 1962 for those who thought the airport would never see any measure of success."

Well, today "Dulles ranks as the 14th busiest airport in the nation and is poised to grow even further," with "over 20 million passengers who travel through Dulles each year" and "passenger volumes [that] are expected to more than double by 2025." That's great, except for one problem: how the heck are those 40 million people per year going to get to and from the airport? Are they all going to drive their cars, bringing complete gridlock to the Dulles corridor? Or, will we finally see Metro to Dulles built?

On that latter question, the issue right now is very simple: leadership. The fact is, the vast majority of northern Virginians want to see Metro to Dulles, but they also want to see it done right. That means three things: 1) competitive bidding to get the best price available; 2) a tunnel in Tysons, so the region can benefit from the "smart growth" that will flow from that; and 3) an open, transparent process that involves the public in all aspects of this tremendously important project. Sad to say, Frank Wolf has failed the people of the 10th district on all three of those points: 1) a no-bid deal to "Big Dig" Bechtel; 2) a disruptive, penny-wise-pound-foolish and anti-smart-growth "aerial" option in Tysons; and 3) secrecy and evasiveness from Wolf and other political leadership on this multi-billion-dollar, hundred-year project.

Unfortunately, Frank Wolf is like an aircraft carrier; once he makes up his mind on something, he doesn't change it, even if the facts indicate that he should do so. That's the case with the Iraq War, and that's the case with Metro to Dulles. Today, there's great technology that can drill tunnels quickly and cost effectively, yet Wolf doesn't even want to consider that option. Instead, Wolf apparently prefers the overpriced and wildly unpopular no-bid Bechtel deal for an aerial option in Tysons. Why is that? Does Frank Wolf not care what his constituents think anymore, after all these years in Congress? Or does he simply have other priorities? One really starts to wonder...