Dulles Rail Airport Station: Key Questions and Answers We Need
COALITION FOR SMARTER GROWTH
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
May 10, 2011
Contact:
Stewart Schwartz (CSG), Cell: 703.599.6437
The Dulles Rail Airport Station and Phase 2:
Key Questions and the Answers We Need
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will be discussing the Dulles Rail terminal station at their regular board meeting today. "We believe officials should demand additional information before making final decisions on the terminal station and Phase 2 of Dulles Rail," said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
The following questions should be answered in the public debate:
(see also the background notes to each question -- at the end of this release)
1) Why isn't the State of Virginia contributing to Phase 2 project costs from the state's general transportation revenues, including the record $3 billion in new bonds?
2) If there are concerns about having enough funds for Dulles Rail Phase 2, why is MWAA possibly using toll revenues to fund an unrelated highway on the backside of Dulles Airport?
3) To confirm the merits of the underground station and the shorter walking distance to check-in at the terminal, officials and the public need the following information:
a) What is the walking time from the above-ground station to the check-in desks and from the underground station to check-in?
b) What is the walking time from the National Airport Metro Station to check-in at the new Terminal B/C compared to the old Terminal A?
c) How has ridership at the National Airport Metro Station increased from year-to-year since the new terminal opened?
d) How complete are the transit-oriented development (TOD) plans for the Wiehle, Reston, Herndon, and Dulles/28 stations and what is the projected ridership that will be achieved from the combination of effective, walkable TOD plans for these stations, the vastly increased Tysons Corner TOD plans, and the closer location at the terminal station?
"We urge greater accountability and oversight of MWAA, but we also recommend that officials wait to ensure all facts are before them before making a final decision on the location of the terminal station," said Schwartz. "We also call on MWAA not to divert Dulles Toll Road funds to the Dulles Loop road. We call on the state to step up to the plate with funding for Dulles Rail from its general transportation revenues in the 2012-2017 6-Year plan and beyond. Finally, we call on the local jurisdictions to finish their transit-oriented development plans for the stations and begin implementation so that they can achieve strong ridership for the entire project."
Background Note to Question 1:
The State of Virginia is only paying 5.2% of the total cost of the $5.25 billion Dulles Rail project. See: http://www.metwashairports.com/file/toll_exhibit3.pdf, but its payments are limited to Phase 1. For Phase 2, based on the agreement between the local funding partners, 4.8 percent of the cost would be allocated to Loudoun County, 16.1 percent to Fairfax County, and 4.1 percent to the Airports Authority. The remaining 75 percent of Phase 2 would be paid from proceeds from Dulles Toll Road revenue bonds, unless other funding sources can be secured. We consider Toll Road revenues to be generated in Northern Virginia and not equivalent to the state's typical funding contributions to highway construction out of the state's Transportation Trust Fund. Typically a highway project involves 80% federal money and 20% state money, yet in the case of the Dulles Rail project Northern Virginia tax payers and toll payers are footing 95% of the tab.
Background Note to Question 2:
It appears that the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority could be diverting up to $34 million in Dulles Toll Road Revenues to fund Route 606 ("Dulles Loop") expansion to a four lane divided arterial. MWAA also plans to expand this road on the backside of the airport to an 8-lane limited access highway with a total potential cost over $300 million. A longstanding debate has taken place between Fairfax County and MWAA over the use of Dulles Toll Road revenues. The Coalition for Smarter Growth has also collected an extensive document record on the Dulles Loop, the Dulles Toll Road Transfer Agreement, and the disputes over the use of Dulles Toll Road revenues.
Background Note to Question 3:
In addition to the data needed on the experience with the National Airport Metro station, officials should consider Arlington's experience with the Orange Line as they evaluate Phase 2 of Dulles Rail (both terminal station and TOD performance). Arlington and the federal government spent $300 million more in the 1970's and 1980's to move the Orange Line underground and directly beneath the county's commercial corridor, allowing for very short walks to tens of thousands of jobs and residences. The location decisions for the National Airport station and the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor have paid long-term dividends.
###
