Reston Citizens Association
Reston 2020 Committee
March 7, 2012
Dulles Toll Road
Fact Sheet #1: Excessive Toll Increases
Put Dulles rail finances on the right track,
Not on the toll road user’s back!
Are you prepared to pay twice as much--$4.50 one way--to use the Dulles Toll Road next year?
Are you prepared to pay $6.75 one way to use the Dulles Toll Road—three times the current toll—in 2018?
Are you prepared to pay $6.75 one way to use the Dulles Toll Road—three times the current toll—in 2018?
Are you prepared to pay the equivalent of $6.00-$7.00 one way in today’s dollar value to use the toll road over the next 35 years?
These are the tolls CDM Smith, the traffic and revenue consultants to the airport authority (MWAA), say will be needed to pay off the $3 billion in debt that will be required to build the Silver Line to the airport and beyond.
RCA Reston 2020’s adjustments to this forecast suggests that future tolls may need to be 10%-25% more than Smith’s estimates to meet the construction financing needs.
The reason tolls will need to grow so high is that MWAA, Fairfax, and Loudoun counties have agreed that Dulles Toll Road users will pay all the financing costs not available from other sources. As it stands now, that means toll road users will pay three-quarters of the cost of Phase 2 construction of Metrorail and about 54% of total construction costs.
As of today, Fairfax County is in a 90-day period in which it must decide whether to approve its participation in Phase 2 of this scheme. We expect it to rush to approve the scheme by mid-April, following a series of public meetings and a hearing by March 20th.
Asking that Dulles corridor drivers absorb 75% of the cost of completing rail to Dulles is a very bad idea for drivers and our communities. Our leaders need to find alternative funding sources for the bulk the $2.8 billion Phase 2 cost ($2.1 billion now planned from tolls). Until then, Phase 2 needs to be put on hold.
If you believe these toll increases are excessive—
· E-mail the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at clerktothebos@fairfaxcounty.gov with your comments and concerns.
· Contact our local state legislators:
o Delegate Ken Plum: kenplum@aol.com
· Contact our incoming and outgoing Congressional representatives using these forms—
· Attend the public meetings to learn more and question County transportation officials about the toll increases.
o Monday, March 12, 6:30-8:00PM, Alexandria: South County Government Center, Community Room 221A/B, 8530 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA
o Wednesday, March 14, 6:30-8:00PM, Herndon: Hutchison Elementary School Cafeteria, 13209 Parcher Ave., Herndon, VA
o Thursday, March 15, 6:30-8:00PM, Falls Church: Westgate Elementary School, 7500 Magarity Rd., Falls Church, VA
o Friday, March 16, 7:00-9:00PM, Fairfax: Fairfax County Government Center, Conf Rm 9/10 (Lobby level), 12000 Government Center Pkwy, Fairfax, VA
· Attend and, if you wish, speak at the Public Hearing on Phase 2 of Dulles rail on Tuesday, March 20, at 5PM. To sign up to speak at the hearing, please fill out the online form at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/bosclerk/speaker_bos.htm
· If you would like to help Reston 2020 share its concerns more broadly, contact us at reston.2020@yahoo.com.
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