Tysons Business Center

Monday evening, supporters of TysonsTunnel.org gathered at a local restaurant to find out where the Tysons Metro project stands and what the group plans to do next. Coverage of the night’s events can be found at RaisingKaine.com. The Washington Business Journal was there as well. Scott Monett, TysonsTunnel President, made it clear that his group is not an anti-transit group, as they are often incorrectly perceived to be.

Monett posted this document comparing the pros and cons of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems and light rail transit (LRT) systems after a reader commented that a BRT system should be looked at as an alternative to the rail.

It’s good to see that there is still support for the tunnel. We believe the best solution is a tunnel through Tysons and an elevated rail for the line to Dulles.

from washingtonpost.com

With the upcoming rail construction, we can all expect a bit more traffic around the Tysons area. Northern Virginia is already plagued with heavy traffic. With news of VDOT’s plan to cut 51% of the region’s road-building program, the roads are only going to get worse.

Without improvements, Beltway-type backups will soon reach suburban back yards as roads fail to keep up with the region’s growth. Cars will continue to wait through four or five traffic signals to make a simple turn. Buses will fall further behind schedule. Even non-commuters will be affected: When feeder roads become crammed, drivers with an eye on the clock start taking shortcuts through neighborhoods, turning quiet streets into major commuter arteries.

from washingtonpost.com

After the news that Hawaii would get $900M in federal funding, it didn’t seem likely that the Dulles Silver Line project would see the light of day. The project was pretty much dependent on receiving money from the Federal government. Alternative plans such as privatized funding were looked into but with this news, other options will no longer be explored.

It is probably safe to say that most people in the area would rather have a tunnel. Either way, it will be interesting to see how commuters in the Tysons area handle the upcoming construction considering traffic is already a headache.

from Washington Business Journal

Does this mean the TysonsTunnel group has thrown in the towel? Perhaps an elevated rail is the only solution if this region wants any kind of metro line expansion.

With the uncertainty of the Silver Line ever coming to fruition, was the start of the utility relocation premature? Hopefully the project will receive the needed federal funding otherwise the relocation could be a waste of time and money.

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from washingtonpost.com

As the chances for federal funding seem to get smaller, private funding is popping up as a solution. This of course brings more controversy to the project. Many oppose this method of funding by for-profit companies.

from washingtonpost.com

It’ll be interesting to see what happens now. The project outlook seems a bit doomed at this point. Federal officials have doubts that the project will qualify for federal funding that it needs.