Fairfax County Board Defers Metrorail Vote, Reston Patch, March 21, 2012

The board reached a decision after a two-hour public hearing.

By William Callahan

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors deferred until April 10 a vote on the county’s participation in Phase II of the Dulles Metrorail project after a public hearing Tuesday night.

Dulles Rail has been a contentious topic since its inception, and Tuesday night was no different. More than 20 county residents voiced their support for or opposition to the $2.7 billion project during the two-hour forum. Virginia Del. Barbara Comstock (R-McLean) and former county board chairman Kate Hanley were among the speakers, about half of whom supported the project. . .

. . . But many residents who live in the Dulles corridor are concerned about drastic toll increases to the Dulles Toll Road, disagreeing with current plans to have vehicle tolls shoulder more than 50 percent of the Phase II cost. According to a Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA) report, a one-way trip could increase from $2.25 to $4.50 in a year, and to $6.75 by 2018. 

Terry Maynard of the Reston 2020 committee called the current funding format "grossly unfair," urging the board to put any decisions on hold until a better funding scheme can be found.

"To do otherwise is imprudent, impractical and unjust,” he said.

Tammi Petrine, also with Reston 2020, agreed.

"The use of wildly excessive Toll Road revenues to fund Metrorail construction is unjustified and risky," she said.

Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity also had apprehensions about the Toll Road's burden. "My concern is, are we going to do more damage with the tolls even with the economic benefit of rail," he said. . . .

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