DC-Dulles Silver Line a gold star project by any measure

When it comes to transportation, there is no time like the present to invest in the future. Transportation projects take time to complete, and they endure for generations. Because the impacts of these projects extend so far into the future, the infrastructure choices we make today have huge consequences for our nation’s ability to reduce oil consumption, increase safety, preserve air quality, improve public health, and keep more money in people's wallets.

One project currently under construction that will provide all of those benefits--for residents, commuters, business travelers, and tourists alike--is the DC-to-Dulles Silver Line in Northern Virginia.

The Silver Line is a 23-mile addition to the Washington, DC, regional Metrorail system running from Falls Church, VA, to Dulles International Airport and Virginia's Loudoun County. The extension will serve Tysons Corner, Virginia's largest employment center, and the Reston-Herndon area, the state's second largest employment concentration. And it will provide a one-seat ride from Dulles International Airport to downtown Washington.

Metrorail is not just the Washington area’s metro system. It is America’s metro system. People from every state in the country—and from every corner of the world—use Metro in our capitol city. We need to connect the region's busiest international airport to America’s metro system—and the opportunities that come with it.

We also need a transportation system that will support future growth in this region and reduce congestion on our highways. Currently, Tysons Corner functions like a suburban city, with a population that quadruples during the workday. And local leaders hope to attract more people to live in Tysons Corner in addition to just working there. Plans are underway to urbanize Tysons Corner by adding multiple modes of transit, bike lanes, pedestrian-friendly streets, and a robust mix of uses.

The Silver Line will help Tysons Corner, and it will also help preserve the rural nature of western Loudoun County by absorbing growth in higher density development around the two stations in the eastern part of that county.

The name for this plan is “live, work, play, shop and stay.” That sounds to me like a blueprint for success – and others agree.

The Silver Line will be a gateway to enormous opportunity and will help us meet the needs of 21st century residents, workers, and visitors for years to come. In fact, earlier this year Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell called this rail transit line, “one of the most important, if not the most important, project in the country.”

And last month, the Silver Line was endorsed by the Sierra Club as one of the best projects in America.

 

DOT has been a proud supporter of the Silver Line. We have invested over $900 million in this project, and we continue to work with public and private stakeholders to ensure its success.

America was built on big ideas like the transcontinental railway, the interstate highway system, and the Hoover Dam. All of these projects were the result of vision, cooperation, and determination.

And like those big ideas, the Silver Line will benefit generations to come.

Comments

[Frank]

Do you think motorists on the Dulles Toll Road would agree -- they're facing crazy toll increases due to the cost overruns.

[jmj4trains]

I think it is a stretch to say that the Federal DOT has been a proud supporter of the Silver Line. When the project was conceived, the expectation was that the Fed would contribute 50% of the cost of the line. Currently, the Fed funding for Phase 2 is at ZERO. That's put the burden on the Toll Road users, and lead to pressure to build the project on the cheap. The aboveground station at the airport will make it hard to attract international travelers... the airport will be a laughingstock of the global airport community.