On Again, Off Again, On Again for good..... I think

The title is a quick summary of the process to date of approving/starting the Metro extension to Dulles Airport and beyond. Right now it seems to be a go. I believe it's good news

-Historical View-

There was a fight at first over whether the new metro extension would be built above ground or built below ground (tunnel). The contstruction contract was awarded to some companies to be built above ground. This despite the fact that many, including yours truly, would strongly prefer a tunnel. The main argument of the project opposition, who were very much pro tunnel, is/was that the current plan was not bid competitively in an open process. They rationalize that an open bid process would have given a variety of companies the opportunity to compete with different plans for above ground or below ground. And in an open format, because of competition, costs would be brought down. The organizers of this main opposition to the current project can be found at TysonsTunnel.org

Other problems arose in the form of funds, or possible lack thereof. Some state initiatives to impose taxes on real estate transactions, such as the grantor's tax (also known as seller's tax), in limited jurisdictions in northern virginia was shot down. Also, in light of some of the public opposition to the metro's current construction plan the federal government showed some reluctance to give the go ahead on the funding that is needed from them to complete the project (a combination of loans and federal funding coming to over 1.5 billion).

-Most Recently-

An article in Saturday's (8/23/08) Washington Post's Real Estate section revealed that the Federal body (Federal Tranist Administration) overseeing the fund required for the metro project issued a letter giving the go ahead to begin construction.

Many commuters know however that construction had already begun, sort of.....
Workers had already closed many sections of the Route 7 service/access roads to begin digging into the ground and move utilities. There are many utilities that need to be moved, water, cable, and more, before Route 7 can be widened enough to fit the above ground construction in the new wider median.

-Related-

John Foust, the Dranesville district supervisor, is quoted in the Vienna Connection paper (8/27-9/2/2008) indicating his concern in the growth of Tysons Corner and how it and other local areas are changed/developed. He also mentions that he doesn't believe an above ground metro will necessarily be less costly than a tunnel.