Tysons Business Center

from washingtonpost.com

Many regular drivers to the Tysons Corner area say that’s too expensive, echoing a concern by critics, who describe the high-occupancy toll, or HOT, lanes as “Lexus lanes” available only to the affluent. But studies have shown that HOT lanes in other states are used by people at all income levels.

Local residents discuss their views on the HOT lanes to be built. Most feel it will be too expensive to use in the long run. Some feel the money should be spent on other options such as mass transportation.

from washingtonpost.com

This is what Tysons Corner should be. Of course with the elevated rail, that’s not going to happen.

from washingtonpost.com

The spirit-sapping, schedule-scuttling congestion of the Washington area has grown so severe that the region is now in a tie for the second-worst traffic in the nation — a notch higher on an ignominious chart no city aims to top. Only drivers in freeway-filled Los Angeles endure rush hour delays more brutal than Washingtonians, according to a national study released today.

The DC area has moved up in the rankings from third last year to second this year. It’s not something we want to move up in rankings for.

from Washington Business Journal

Virginia officials have made cuts to the Silver Line project totaling $306M. This comes after the Federal Transit Administration demanded that $250M needed to be cut. So it might be a safe bet that the elevated rail is coming.

from Washington Business Journal

Looks like Herndon is a popular location so far this month. Last week it was announced that Volkswagen will be relocating it’s headquarters from Detroit to Herndon. Now Bell ID is opening a US headquarters here as well.

from NBC4

It looks like your trip on the Dulles Greeway will cost you more. The toll will be increased to $4.80 by 2012. Start finding carpoolers!

from Tysons Tunnel

The results are eye-opening, especially for incumbent officeholders. More than eight in 10 voters (81 percent) believe that the Phase 1 extension to Reston should include a tunnel.

This is not surprising but the tunnel would obviously cost more in the end:

from Fairfax Supervisors Decide to Go Ahead With Metro Vote

The Board has indicated in the past that it would prefer a tunnel but Connolly says the Federal Transit Administration has produced another report backing the aerial route.

The tunnel would cause “complications that could add as much as $300 million to the cost of the project and could delay it as much as three years,” Connolly says.

With the bottom line already through the roof, how will the state get Federal funding when the government is already wary of the project costs. Will competitive bidding get the costs down that much?