A 23-mile extension of Washington D.C.'s Metro rail service to Dulles International Airport is over budget, behind schedule and in danger of losing critical federal funding, according to a story in today's Washington Post.
Lots of blame has been hurled about since a Federal Transit Administration report last week placed the cost of Dulles rail's first phase to Reston at $2.83 billion -- an unacceptable sum under federal cost-efficiency rules. The report also predicted that the project would be completed 15 months later than scheduled, meaning that commuters might not take their first ride until March 2014.
Look for this story to get dredged up by local critics of light rail and proponents of fast-tracking the I-35W bridge past community groups and design or environmental reviews.
The cases aren't exactly parallel. The long-planned DC project was affected by multiple local jurisdictions and developer interests in the rail line as it passes through high value real estate. And all parties apparently took their eye off the federal funding ball. But it's worth watching because it provide fuel to forces that want transportation projects to be cheap, fast and transit light.
— Charlie Quimby
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