Today was the big rally for the Tyons Metro tunnel option. About 500 people gathered in Vienna at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens near Wolf Trap to learn more about the tunnel option, to listen to politicians, to eat free food, and in general to "Rally Round The Tunnel."
I'll have more to say on this later, including (hopefully) some on-camera interviews I did with Chap Petersen, State Senator Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, and Scott Monett (president of TysonsTunnel.org). We also should have video footage of the event itself, including speeches by Rep. Jim Moran, Rep. Tom Davis, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly, Del. Chuck Caputo, Del. Steve Shannon, Supervisor Cathy M. Hudgins, and Devolites Davis.
For now, here are some photos from the event. Enjoy, and please do whatever you can to support the Metro tunnel option in Tysons. This project may be complicated and expensive, and it may but it's also a huge capital investment for the NOVA region that will be around for a century or more, so we've got to do it right. Personally, I'd be happy to wait a few years if that's the difference between a Tysons tunnel, with all its attendant benefits, or an above-ground monstrosity. For more, please see the TysonsTunnel.org website.
P.S. I'd never met Rep. Davis before today, so I was glad to have the opportunity to speak with him for 10 minutes or so. Even after finding out who I was (Raising Kaine - ack!), he was very gracious and friendly. I may not agree with Tom Davis on many political issues, but I can see why he's popular among his constituents. Heck, I like the guy...but I still hope we can take back his seat in 2008! :)
P.P.S. Rep. Moran gets major "cojones" points for going to a rally and basically telling the crowd everything it did NOT want to hear - all about the near-insurmountable obstacles (according to Moran) to shift course back to a tunnel at this point. In general, the crowd listened to Moran respectfully, but they obviously were NOT happy with what he had to say. Anyway, we'll see what happens...
Jim Moran, Scott Monett, Tom Davis
Tom Davis speaking
Gerry Connolly speaking
Jeannemarie Devolites-Davis speaking
Guy getting creative to support a tunnel.
Cameras, crowd...a bit blurry.
Map of Metro through Tysons to Dulles.
Tunnel boring machine.
Underground station cross-section.