RCA's Stance on the Silver Line, Toll Road, Colin Mills, President, RCA, Reston Patch, February 8, 2012

This week, I received a couple of notes from friends of mine, who read about RCA's recent report concerning the inaccuracy of toll-road revenue forecasts.  Previously, they had seen RCA's resolution calling for an audit of the costs of the Metro Silver Line.  Both of these friends are eager to see the Silver Line completed all the way out to Dulles Airport and beyond, and they were concerned about RCA's actions.
One of my friends is a devoted Democrat, and he stated that local Republicans are looking for a way to remove the Project Labor Agreement (mandating the use of union labor) on Phase 2 of the Silver Line. He argued that every new assessment or civic criticism gives Republicans fodder to delay or obstruct the progress of the Silver Line.  He said that he believes "the tolls will work themselves out," but that concerns expressed by groups like RCA might lead to problems with the completion of Phase 2.

My other friend, approaching the issue for a non-partisan angle, noted that if there is a delay in the completion of Phase 2, that would mean a longer period when the Wiehle Avenue station is the terminus of the Silver Line, which would have a negative impact on Reston's welfare.  She knows that RCA has campaigned to ensure that the Wiehle station is the Silver Line terminus for as short a period as possible.  So she asked: Might RCA voicing its concerns lead to unintended negative consequences for our citizens?

Silver Line construction in Tysons Corner Credit Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project

 I replied to my friends' concerns, but I realized that other Restonians might share their concerns.  So this week, I want to use the blog post to explain RCA's position on the Silver Line in greater detail.  I've written about RCA's position on the Silver Line in the past, and I hope this post will clear up any lingering confusion. . .

The bottom line:

. . . RCA is not opposed to the Silver Line.  We continue to support the completion of the Silver Line all the way out to the airport and beyond.   If you read RCA's report, authored by our super analyst Terry Maynard, you'll notice that our support for the Silver Line is stated right up front. . . .

For the rest of this excellent Reston Patch blog post, click here.