What on earth is this all about?
Two congressmen on Wednesday warned Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine about supporting the construction of a tunnel for Metrorail's 23-mile extension to Dulles International Airport."We, like most people, would prefer a tunnel because it would be more aesthetically pleasing," Reps. Frank Wolf and Tom Davis wrote in a letter to Kaine. "However, as you well know, there is more to this issue."
[...]
"The Commonwealth (of Virginia) may very well be rolling the dice on the future of this project," the congressmen wrote.
The warning came a day before Kaine and state Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer are expected to receive results of a two-month study on whether to build the four-mile Tysons portion underground or on an elevated track.
Are Tom "DeLay" Davis and Frank Wolf "in sheep's clothing" really opposing the only sensible alternative for Tyson's Corner, an underground Metro tunnel? If so, why would they do that? Have these "business friendly" Republicans not been listening to businesses and other landowners in the area, the vast majority of whom appear to be big proponents of building a tunnel instead of running rail lines above Tysons? If so, then why in heck are Davis and Wolf saying that "[t]he risks of this project without a tunnel seem low?"
By the way, isn't one of the main arguments for keeping these two Republicans in Congress, instead of electing Andy Hurst and Judy Feder, is that they can use their seniority and clout for the benefit of their districts? Well, hello? Metro to Dulles is a critical project for the 10th and 11th districts, and doing it with a tunnel below ground is critical to the future success of Tysons' Corner development. Yet here Davis and Wolf are, apparently working against Governor Kaine instead of with him to get this project done right. Boo, hiss!
P.S. I can just imagine what "Bored George" Allen is up to on this one...
Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign. The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not necessarily represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.
Bus Rapid Transit is the future. Clean running buses that are flexible and don't require tearing up the land. People are in a dream if they think we are going to get billions of dollars to connect us to Dulles. The bus designs can meet the platforms and the buses can be very comfortable. Northern Virginia already has good bus service. Let's make it extraordinary, clean, comfortable and attractive.
Train/rail would be better for longer distance point-to-point transit.