With Easter fast approaching, Georgetown students are once again making travel plans, which for many include a costly Super Shuttle or cab ride to Dulles Airport. Future Hoyas may not have to face the same struggle when the Metro’s long-awaited Silver Line to Dulles is completed, but construction of the line has been delayed by a conflict between government officials and community members.
By 2011, the proposed first phase of the line would include an 11.4-mile stretch of track from the East Falls Church Station on the Orange Line to Tysons Corner, a major shopping district in Virginia. By 2015, the Silver Line would reach Dulles Airport with 11 stations spread across 23 miles.
Controversy has arisen over the structure of the Tysons Corner stop, though. An overland route is planned, but some say that a tunnel would be less expensive and more beneficial to the region.
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D) supports the overland construction, which would displace several businesses, including Michelin Tire and Business Bank, according to Marcia McAllister, a spokeswoman for the Dulles Corridor Metro Project.
She said that the Project has worked out arrangements with each of these businesses, including compensation for property and moving costs.
But Scott Monnett, president of Tysons Tunnel, a group lobbying for the underground tunnel route, said that a study commissioned by his group found that an underground tunnel would be less expensive, in addition to preventing disruptions to businesses.
The study has been disputed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, a joint DC-Virginia public body that runs the Dulles and Reagan National airports.
The controversy has pushed the construction of the line back by two months, which could threaten federal contributions to the Project.
“The slower we go and the longer the delays, the more the price goes up,” McAllister said.
McAllister said that the Silver Line has always been very popular among voters and state officials, as it would be funded through revenue from the Dulles Toll Road and by the MWAA.
McAllister said that the trip from Capitol Hill to Dulles would take 56 minutes. It would cost $3, according to the Project’s web site.
Students are excited about the idea of a Metro line to Dulles.
“I imagine that would be pretty helpful because I know the cab ride is like $50,” Laura Boova (MSB ’08).
Other students focused on the fact that, although the new line will be convenient, it will not be completed until long after all of the current classes graduate.
“Obviously it would be better if it was done earlier, but it will help others in the future,” Kyla Mitchell (COL ’10) said.
